Mkuu Na Ombaomba
by DarthRushy
Summary: Following up on her promise, Jasiri returns to the Pride Lands and joins Kion in defending the Pride Lands from fiends of all kinds as the two develop a deeper relationship... Kion x Jasiri
1. Chapter 1

_Tap-tap-tap!_

Kion blinked dizzily, his mind winking back into existence after a sleep not nearly long enough.

 _Tap-tap-tap!_

"Stop it!" he mumbled, stretching on the cool rock floor where he had slept. "I'm awake!"

"My apologies, Kion." the hornbill spoke in his usual clipped voice that suggested no regret. "This isn't my most pleasant duty, but the Pride Lands do need to be patrolled."

"Yeah." the lion prince sighed and before Zazu could dodge, let out a yawn worthy of the Great Kings themselves.

"Kion!" Zazu shouted, immediately returning to his classic "grumpy teacher" mode. "Will you be careful with that magic breath of yours?! Just because you can make the clouds go ooohhh, does not mean you have to blast it at every creature that starts with the letter H!"

"Sorry, Zazu." Kion spoke in his usual easygoing voice that suggested no regret. "Go wake the others, okay? I'll meet them down at the waterhole."

The hornbill grumbled something unintelligible and flew off in a second. Initially, the other Lion Guard members were to be awoken by their own family members, but Timon and Pumbaa at 5 AM... that plan was ultimately dropped.

* * *

Kion raced through the empty fields, his soft paws landing gently on the grass over and over again. However, before long, he slowed down and collapsed, out of breath. Because of his duties to the Lion Guard, Kion had adapted to a strict schedule, but because of his duties to the Lion Guard, he'd also had to break them entirely yesterday, when he ended up in the Outlands due to an accident.

Alone and lost between jagged cliffs, he'd set foot in hyena territory.

Territorial as ever, the lone scavenger who lived in that area had approached him at his most vulnerable moment. Her name was Jasiri. And she was a friend. His friend. She'd saved him from Janja and his thugs and led the way back to the Pride Lands. But that was insignificant when compared to the lesson she'd taught him. Sisi ni sawa.

No wonder he was still exhausted. It was only fortunate that he still had about 15 minutes to spare before Zazu got everyone here. Who would he wake first? Hopefully not Fuli, the cheetah would be here in seconds. If she found him sleeping, he'd never hear the end of it.

"Psst!"

Lost in a titanic inner struggle between dreams and reality, Kion didn't initially hear anything.

"PSST!"

Kion's head jerked upwards, adrenaline shocking him back into full awareness. "Who's there?! Stop fooling around!"

"PSS-SST!" The voice whispered, with more intensity. Staring left, towards the direction of the voice, Kion saw nothing... until a familiar and even from the distance, a distinctly frustrated-looking small black paw waved at him from a thick bush right near the Little Jungle, inviting him.

Kion smiled, but it was a worried smile. He ran over to the paw, revealing his new friend. "Jasiri, _what_ are you-?" he started to ask, before Jasiri pulled him down under cover with a fierce look on her face.

"Are you crazy?! Do you want them to see me? I'm sure that'll go down well the King!" she hissed angrily.  
The lion prince's face fell. "Jasiri, you're my friend. I'm sure the King won't mind-," Kion began to explain, but the pent-up hyena didn't give her a chance.

"Use your brain, prince of haircuts! If the zebras and the antelopes notice me, your dad's gonna have a riot on his hands!"

"Then _why are you here_?!" the prince of haircuts said, finally getting to the point. At that, Jasiri's mouth fell shut and the two awkwardly stared at each other until a clipped, naturally authoritative tone pierced the air at precisely the wrong time.

"Yes, I'd quite like to know that as well."

Zazu glared at Jasiri.

* * *

"Hyenas are forbidden to hunt in the Pride Lands. Shoo, shoo! Kion, do something!" he continued, flapping his wings in a vain effort to get Jasiri to move. Kion and Jasiri shared a mutually bemused expression before the former turned to the agitated majordomo.

"Zazu, leave her alone. Jasiri's my friend." he said.

If Zazu was irritated before, he was downright _angry_ now. "Friend!? Friend?! Kion, you know better than to consort with these scavengers! If you weren't here, she'd bite my head off!"

Jasiri cackled, the first time she'd been herself today. "I probably would." she said mock-threateningly.

"You see! How could you let this happen?! Oh, I must tell Simba about this!" Unfortunately, Zazu's tendency to speak to himself proved to be his literal downfall as Kion pinned the frenzied bird down. "Kion! Let go of me! I simply must tell Simba!"

"Why? Jasiri hasn't done anything! She's not hunting, she's..." he glanced at her. "She's here at my request."

That didn't help.

"Request?! REQUEST?! Oh, why can't you throw me in waterfalls like your father did?!" Zazu whined. "That was much less stressful. Let me remind you that your duty is to..."

"... guard the Pride Lands, in and out. But Jasiri isn't going to hurt anyone. Her being here is a minor infraction at worst and _I'll_ take care of it. Are we clear?"

Zazu had the sourest expression that Kion had ever seen on his face, but gave in. "Oh, alright. I suppose you know what you're doing."

"I suppose so." he curtly added. "Also, tell the other Guard members I'm going to be late. "

* * *

After Zazu flew away, Kion turned back to Jasiri to be rewarded with an admiring, sly grin. "What?"

"Nothing." she said, although her body language betrayed otherwise. "Just... never seen a male with that sort of a backbone before."

Kion rolled his eyes. "Let's not get back to the male talk. What are you doing here, Jasiri?"

Suddenly, the arrogance dropped out of the hyena again and she sniffed the air. "Well, we... eh... we made a deal, didn't we? Heh heh. I told you, I'll come and visit."

"Yeah, we did. Yesterday."

"Well... I'm here. Visiting. So brighten up! Let's go do something wicked!" Jasiri said. Making sure that nobody was looking, she leaped out of the bushes and sprinted away with Kion racing after her, his exhaustion long forgotten.


	2. Chapter 2

It was around midday, when Kion and Jasiri finally tired of playing hide and seek with each other and the other animals, trying to test how far they could go before anyone noticed them.

Though Kion knew from experience that hyenas were sneaky and often surprisingly intelligent creatures, he was totally unprepared for Jasiri. The girl was _impossible_. He didn't count, but it felt like he lost sight of her, only for her to appear somewhere like an elephant's back without the latter even noticing her about a hundred times. Even in the clearest field under the bright sun, she was able to disappear. Jasiri made Rafiki's stealth skills look pathetic.

Knowing what an asset she could be for the team, Kion had asked the hyena, after their game, if she'd consider joining the Lion Guard only for her to throw back her head and let out her characteristic sly laugh. "Yeah, because all the animals here would really love to have hyenas protecting them. It worked so well for them in the past."

Kion protested: "It's not like that and you know it! If I can get my dad to make an announcement... calm everyone down..."

"Then they would still panic. Or even worse, turn against him." Jasiri shook her head sadly.

"I don't believe it! The Pridelanders celebrate the Circle Of Life."  
"Do you?" Jasiri asked.  
Kion didn't hesitate: "Yes."  
"And yet you still bit my head off when we first met, before I so much as bared my fangs."

"I..." Kion thought of justifying his actions, but Jasiri cut him off. "I don't blame you, Kion. Though that was kind of mean. I mean, you'd figure that a lion prince trained from childbirth would... but I'm going off topic. Anyway, if I had a misunderstanding with you of all people, just imagine the "misunderstanding" I'll have with your prey."

"My prey?"

"You know, zebras, antelopes, warthog stuffed with meerkat..." she rattled off, beginning to lick her lips.

"They're... not our prey, Jasiri..."

"Sure they are! That's their role in the Circle of Life! You do know that, right? But I'm going off topic."

* * *

After an elongated debate over what role animals have in the Circle Of Life, both Kion and Jasiri gave up trying to defeat each other's stubbornness and instead agreed to find shelter and a quiet place to drink. Knowing that his fellow Lion Guard members were still kept busy, Kion led her to the Guard's secret den so they could chat without having to worry about being found.

The den was located underneath a thick tunnel of vines and plantlife, but she got through them with ease, as opposed to Kion who growled every time he came and went from the place.

Finally, the two of them emerged in a small, naturally grown chamber at the heart of the Little Jungle. It was completely inaccessible from all sides because of the thick growth and could only be entered through the secret tunnel that Rafiki had discovered ages ago. Within the room was a dark, reflective pool, a large platform right above the pool(slightly resembling Pride Rock), and several large paintings which Rafiki had developed.

"Whoa." Jasiri breathed, her deep, blue eyes taking in the sight. She hopped onto the platform in the middle of the room and trotted in circles, just trying to capture everything. "It's beautiful. And you _own_ this place?"

Kion grinned. "Well, I am the lion prince. Wouldn't be right if I didn't have something cool to show for it."

The two of them drank for a few minutes in silence, before setting down on the platform next to each other for warmth(as the chamber was covered from all sides, it was slightly chilly) and looked down at each other's reflections in the pond, in thought. Kion was the first to break the silence.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Jasiri turned away from the water and looked him directly in the eyes. "What?"

"Who are you?" he repeated. "I mean, you know everything about me, my parents, my role in the Pride... I don't know anything about you. We didn't have time for it yesterday, but... I'd like to know." Suddenly worried about pushing his luck with his new friend, he immediately added: "If it's okay with you, I mean."

Jasiri smiled. Not the classic hyena "I'm gonna eat you now" grin, but a genuine, warmth-inducing happy smile. It was a slightly surreal sight. "Sure. I don't think friends are supposed to keep secrets." She looked back towards the pond, as if the memories were hidden underneath the murky waters...

"The first thing I remember is... actually your grand-uncle. I was born right where you were, at Pride Rock, only when Scar was still in charge. All I remember about that was all the grey and the noise, but what I do know is that he freaked me out. He was like a monster from the old stories, a growling beast in the den... well, you know what happened to him."

Kion nodded. "My father."

"I was gone by then. Shenzi - that was our leader - I think she ordered all of us to be hidden before the fight. Nobody came back. The few hyenas left to guard us were forced to raise us. They didn't put a lot of effort into, to say the least." She absent-mindedly rubbed her cheek. "When a few of us learned to hunt, they abandoned us. I split off from the group as soon as I was able. At the time, I wanted nothing to do with them. Now I wonder if things would've been different if I had stayed. After all, I was the girl of the group... maybe I could've controlled them... but I'm going off topic.

I tried to come back to the Pride Lands and the first guy I found was this crazy baboon, name's..."

"Rafiki?" Kion interjected. When Jasiri raised her eyebrow, he explained: "He... gets around."

Jasiri continued: "Well, he was the one who told me all about the Circle of Life and what each animal's role is and how we have to respect that. I've known nothing else that makes as much sense so I've carried those words with me every day. That's about it."

* * *

Abruptly, Jasiri bounced up and tackled Kion, so the two of them rolled off the platform and onto the dirty ground, barely avoiding the drinking pool.

Kion jumped up first and shook himself off. "What're you doing?!"

"Hahahaha! Your face! You were all so..." she mimicked his 'deep' face. "I had to save you!"

"Oh, is that the way it's gonna be?" Kion demanded, with a mock-kingly posture.

"Well, I don't see anybody stopping me..."

Kion leaped at her before she was even finished talking, only to land face first into a rock, falling completely limp. "Kion!" Jasiri yelped and came over only for the pauper of haircuts to try and pin her down. However, the more experienced Jasiri simply bounced on his feet and successfully pinned Kion down on the floor. "Hurt?"

"Only my dignity. And my nose." Kion responded in a nasally, disappointed voice.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : _Okay, I'd just like to start by saying that yes, I took some liberties with Jasiri's character early on and made her love for the Circle Of Life a little less pure. Here's how it is: the way I see it, she respects all the animals and has no direct hatred for anyone, but knows that lions and hyenas are predators and eat the animals in the Pride Lands. And really, so does Kion, except that he's slightly in denial. And now you're never going to watch the Lion Guard the same way again... but I'm going off topic._

 _In any case, thank you so much for the support you've given me. It means a lot to have that sort of enthusiasm coming from you._

 _If you disagree with any of the choices I've made writing this, please don't hide it. I love constructive criticism just as much as enthusiasm. As long as we all love Lion King, sisi ni sawa._

 _One question I do have to put forth, and this is an **IMPORTANT** one... is whether or not I should progress with Kion and Jasiri as friends or Kion and Jasiri as a romantic couple? This is something I leave entirely up to you, I could go either way, because I love these two together in both ways, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on it and why you think so._

 _*Ghost - Thank you so much! Glad I made you go "ooohh!"_

 _*veronica - It's very cool... if I do say so myself! I certainly hope you are! Also, plz don't be mad about my shortening your name, because for some reason, it always turned into just ".7" when I tried to edit this chapter, lol._

 _*pinksakura271 - Truer words have never been spoken. I really really hope they bring her back in a future episode._

 _*DragonSensei - Thank you! And yes, it does._

 _*SennaFan4ever - Now that's a compliment if ever I heard one! The title is in Swahili(like all the other phrases they use) and it means "the prince and the pauper". A cliche title, but I like it. I'll be sure to check out your story!_


	3. Chapter 3

Suddenly, their game was interrupted by a surprised squeak at the entrance. "Jasiri!" Fuli shouted, pouncing towards the pair. "I didn't think we'd see you here so soon! What's going on?"

Jasiri approached the confused, but happy-looking cheetah and explained: "Well, the two of us promised to keep in touch..."

"and it turns out that hyenas are very literal creatures." Kion finished, standing up on the rocky floor and shaking himself free of the dust.

Fuli blinked. "Right." Shaking her head, she turned to Kion with a condescending look. "Anyway, everyone's wondering what you're up to and why you've essentially taken a day off."

Before a reddening Kion could answer, Jasiri piped up. "Totally my fault! I talked him into showing me around. Of course, it's not my fault that the lion prince swoons after a pretty hyena and I definitely had no idea this cave existed... but I'm getting off topic again, right?" she finished quietly as Kion and Fuli both threatened to explode for vastly different reasons.

Hoping to escape from the embarrassing situation, she walked back to Kion. "Anyway, it was nice seeing you. Sisi ni sawa, right?"

"Right." Kion mumbled as Jasiri gave him a quick hug and bounced away up to the small hole that served as the entrance at the far end of the chamber, kicking up dust in the process. "Bye, Fuli! Um... don't tell the whole herd I was here, okay?"

Fuli waved goodbye. "You're safe with us!" she said. Jasiri crawled back into the tunnel and quickly made her way out of the room. As soon as she was out of earshot, Fuli's piercing gaze turned onto Kion. "As for you..."

"Fuli, relax! She just showed up, what was I supposed to do?"

"Kion, that's not the problem! You had Zazu hide the truth from us. _You_ , our leader of all people, lied to us."

Kion sighed, unwilling to look Fuli in the eyes. "I just didn't want the news to spread. You know the Guard isn't exactly waterproof."

"How? You haven't given us a chance to prove ourselves. Bunga, Beshte, Ono... they're not exactly conventional, sure. But I don't think you would've picked them and me unless you trusted them."

"I do trust them!" Kion insisted indignantly. "I just want Jasiri safe."

* * *

The sky was already filled with splashes of beautiful pink and red as Kion miserably walked home, having squeezed out a promise from Fuli not to share any part of their conversation with the other team members for at least tonight. In the end, she was more of a friend than team member and honored his request, even if she strongly disagreed with it.

But she was right, actually. Kion did not trust someone like Bunga or Beshte with the secret that Jasiri had visited and will likely continue to visit the Pride Lands, thus directly contradicting his father's laws. Sure, he'd managed to convince Zazu that he would take care of the problem, but that excuse would only work that once. Contrary to the speeches Simba often gave out to the animals on events such as the Kupatana Celebration, the Pride Lands had _not_ recovered from Scar's reign. Not even close.  
Jasiri saw it and now he saw it, because they were closely connected to those involved, but at the same time, born afterwards. They were in the perfect position to understand the mindsets of those who suffered from the hyenas. But to someone like Bunga, Scar was as distant as the Great Kings in the sky. He just couldn't grasp the problem. And of course, people like his father, mother and Zazu, not to mention the elders of the herd would grasp it only too well.

Kion climbed up the steps leading to the den, his mother and sister already asleep, after a long day of school, no doubt. How many rules had Zazu invented for the royal cubs to learn at this point? At least the formation of the Guard had excused him from that ridiculous burden...  
as he set down to rest next to his family, he found that he could not rest his eyes and mind until he had arrived at some kind of conclusion. There was no way he was facing next morning without at least a short-term answer. Bitterly, he stood up again and went back out to Pride Rock, where a whiff of cold wind refreshed him. Hoping to avoid any conversations, he decided to trek all the way to the mountaintop, where one could look upon the Pride Lands and see the whole of the kingdom...

There, he saw his father, sitting motionlessly, gazing down at the darkening land below.  
"Dad?" Kion asked. "I thought you were off on king business?"

Simba didn't turn. "I'm done today. Why aren't you with the rest of the Pride?"

Kion walked over to the Lion King and set down next to him. The sun had gone. The first stars began to twinkle in the sky.

"Couldn't sleep. I wanted to think." he said.

They sat there together, simply taking comfort from each other's company for several minutes, until Simba broke the silence. "You know how I taught you... that everything the light touches is our kingdom?"

"Yeah?"

"Look."

Kion looked. It was so dark now that he couldn't see anything, except maybe the vague figure of the lions' den below.

"Our family may own the Pride Lands, but we will never really rule it. We're not Kings or Queens, we're custodians and that's a mucky job. We have to make everybody happy and we have to make ourselves happy."

"How do we do that?"

Simba smiled, barely visible in the darkness. "I have no idea."

Kion cringed, the thought of Jasiri still weighing heavily on his mind. "But... what if something big happened? Something, that a lot of people would worry about, but wasn't really a problem? What would you do to make them happy about it?"

"You don't _make_ anyone happy, Kion. Appeal to their hearts and their conscience. Prove to them somehow that your cause is worth fighting for. And if you can't, then fight for it."

Suddenly feeling dizzy, Kion almost collapsed into his father and blinked. "Thanks, dad." Before a minute had passed, he was asleep and Simba had to carry him down to the den as if he was a newborn.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Holy mother of... you know, I was happy with the nice pile of reviews I got for last chapter, but now it just kept coming! And coming! And coming! You guys are the best, seriously._

 _In this chapter, what I wanted to show was all the hard work that Kion has ahead. Scar's long reign practically ravaged the Pride Lands and I feel it makes sense that it's still somewhat disturbed after that, at least where tolerance is concerned. So bringing Jasiri into the fold isn't going to down very well with many people, at least for now._

 _*DragoonSensei - Yes, I think it makes sense to consider the more bloodthirsty side of the Circle Of Life. The TV show, being for kids, of course actively ignores it. Which, given that it's tried to be educational in a hamfisted sort of way, actually kind of annoys me now that I think about it._

 _*Flower99Upendi - Aww, thank you so much! And may I just say, I love your username. The second movie is my favourite!_

 _*Ghost - Well, I'll try. But I'm not making any promises. So if it goes to hell, I can always say "I told you so!"(I'm kidding, thanks for the kind words :D)_

 _*Juria - Time is always an issue, but I will simply not let myself abandon this story. Great suggestions, btw. Especially the Fuli one... there may be a spark there..._

 _*Carmen738 - Phew. It's like I'm in front of a firing squad..._

 _*v.t.7 - Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad I awoke your imagination, that's the best thing. What's up with the name thing, though? Why does it do that? That's really weird... does it interpret it like a URL or something?_

 _*Guest - And all I had to do was rewatch the Sisi Ni Sawa song online... heh. But yeah, we've had a surprising lack of stories about them. Where are all the shippers, I wonder?_

 _*I'm A Jesus Freak - We're on the same wavelength, Freak(sorry, couldn't resist). I just see ships everywhere. And thank you, I will continue writing._

 _*pinksakura271 - It's unfortunate that masses dislike change so much, unless it's something that directly benefits them... I'm glad you caught the pinning, that was intentional! (You are now my favourite, but don't tell anyone!)_

 _*Kion the Lion - Aren't you technically Lion the Lion lol? Thank you for the kind words, I couldn't ask for more._

 _*SennaFan4ever - Asante for reviewing! By the way, I had a look at your profile page after you sent me that message and I'm really sorry to hear about your eyes. I hope that isn't too hard to handle. It's great that you too found God to help you. You've reminded me never to neglect his influence. :D Super excited for Jasiri's return in the show as well, yes._


	4. Chapter 4

A chill morning breeze shook the lonely trees standing in the fields of the Pride Lands as the red sun rose over the hills. The sky was bare, free of any hint of clouds. It was going to be a clear, sunny, but not hot day. Perfect for a spot of hunting. Not so perfect for Kion, whose muscles were becoming strained from standing absolutely still amongst the dry stalks of grass.

"Jasiri! I am in. the. Lion. Guard!" the prince whined as Jasiri inspected his posture. She tutted.

"And that is no reason to get lax! If the Great Kings chose you, you gotta show them respect. Which is why I'm here!" She stopped in front of him.

Kion sighed and lowered his head. "No offense, Jasiri, but I'm pretty sure you were made to do more than nitpick my hunting skills."

"Exactly, so do as I say and I will move onto greater things. Your leadership skills, for example. Of course, leaving aside the whole upside-down concept of males being in charge of groups, there are so many things you've got to learn!" She started to count on her paw. "We'll start with discipline... then handling crises... then rewards to your advisors..."

"And when am I supposed to actually lead the Guard? On Sundays?" Kion groaned, his yellow fur bristling with frustration. Not caring whether she was done or not, he hopped a little to get the blood circulating again. Jasiri closed her eyes.  
"You haven't even taught them how to manage on their own?" she said in disbelief. "Deep breaths, Jasiri, deep breaths..."

Kion raised an eyebrow. "I am the leader. That's kind of my whole point. Why would I teach them to lead?"

Jasiri gave him a look that he didn't like. Then, she smiled and nodded her head to the left. "Come with me."

* * *

His hyena friend led him away from the grassy plains and towards the gritty, harsher areas with cracked canyons that signified the upcoming crossing between the Pride Lands and the Outlands.

"What are we doing out here?" Kion asked as they passed the last gnarled, dead tree. "If my dad finds out I'm shirking my duties just to..."

"You'll be in trouble!" Jasiri pushed her head back and laughed. "HA! Where's your sense of adventure, Kion?"

"With the Guard, where I should be!"

"Oh no." Jasiri said. "You're not going anywhere NEAR the Guard until I'm through with you! Now don't be a crycub!" She put her paw on Kion's mouth to pre-emptively silence him. "We're almost there."

She led him over the crossing. This part of the Outlands was particularly rocky, with huge mountains penetrating from the ground and casting deep shadows down below. The two of them hiked to the uppermost cliffs and for the first time in his life, Kion got a good look at the age-old land of his family's enemies, filled with glowing geysers, frozen lava and down below, of course, squabbling, sloppy balls of grey fur.

"That's Janja's clan there." Jasiri said. "Can you see them?"

Kion looked downwards with pity and slight disgust, which he tried to conceal from her. "Yeah... but what are we doing here? I'm not really in the mood to exchange bite marks with Janja."

"Why is everything always about the competition with males?" Jasiri rolled her eyes. "He's not even here, he's gone hunting! Look down! What do you see?"

Kion glanced downwards again, but saw nothing beyond piles of bones and the sparse group of hyenas wallowing in their little caves and occasionally letting out whines of hunger. "A mess."

"A _hungry_ mess." Jasiri corrected. "The way to a hyena's heart is through her... his stomach. We let nothing stand in our way when we're hungry."

"Then why aren't they out hunting? Is Janja getting their food for them?"

Jasiri threw her head back and let out a loud cackle, only realising her folly when Kion frantically covered her mouth with his paw. "Sorry." she shrugged as Kion gave her an exasperated look. "But no, Janja is not getting their food for them. They try to hunt for themselves, but only when they're at the real brink of starvation. The rest of the time, they just... are. Wasting away at the end of the food chain, when they should be a vital link. Janja is the only one with real skills. He is the leader. If he didn't occasionally remind them how it was done, they couldn't even manage that. Are you starting to see what I mean?"

Kion nodded. "He's not caring for his kind. If he taught them how to handle on their own and gave them a purpose, they could be an effective pride."

"And?" Jasiri pressed on.

"And if I taught each of the Guard members my vital skills - and told them to teach each other their skills as well - we wouldn't get in trouble the minute one of us is hurt."  
Jasiri clapped softly with her paws. "Sisi ni sawa!"

A rough, greedy, familiar voice echoed: "We are the same! HAHAHAHAHA!"  
Janja and his snivelling friends appeared from behind every corner, having surrounded the duo.

* * *

"Well, well, well!" Janja intoned, wearing his trademark grin for the occasion. His eyes turned to Jasiri first. "I thought I told you never to set foot in _my_ clan again... twice as a matter of fact! Maybe it's time we teach _you_ a few lessons of life, eh boys?" Janja's words were accompanied by loud giggling and horrible slurping noises.

Kion glared at Janja and moved towards him. "Back down, Janja! Nobody has to get hurt tonight. And by "nobody", I mean you."

"Ooh, I'm so scared! The lion prince has a magic roar and will blow me away. Waaaah! Look around you, princey-wincey! You're surrounded! And I'm willing to bet that roar can't blow in eight directions!"

Suddenly, Jasiri burst out in laughter, causing the whole stand-off to halt.

"What're you laughing at?!" Janja shouted in annoyance.

"Oh, nothing much." Jasiri said through tears. "Just admiring the dramatic irony of this moment."

One of the hyenas cocked his head in confusion. "Errr... what's dramatic irony?"

Jasiri patiently explained: "Dramatic irony is when someone is utterly convinced they're going to win and they're utterly mistaken."

"Shut your mouth!" Janja ordered. "Fellas, eat!"

Before any hyena could even move a muscle, the air was pierced by a loud, clear voice from towards the Pride Lands' side of the small plateau. "It's not dinnertime yet, hyenas!"

It was Fuli, appearing gloriously in the glow of the sun, with Ono, Bunga and Beshte right beside her. "Fellas...?" she said, sharing a humorous glance with her friends. Suddenly, they stormed the hyena clan, Kion and Jasiri quickly joining with their battle cry: "Til the Pride Lands end, Lion Guard defend!"  
In a matter of minutes, Janja and his group had been chased to the deepest canyons of the Outlands and the group made a point of getting out of the dirty and depressing area as soon as possible, crossing the border back to the Pride Lands and smuggling Jasiri in amongst each other so the other animals didn't notice her. As absurd as the act was, any positive association with the hyenas at this time would have likely destroyed the Guard's reputation in seconds.

* * *

The Guard regrouped back in their secret den(Beshte had his own underwater entrance) and at Jasiri's suggestion, Kion decided the Guard would take the rest of the day off and sent Ono to tell the lionesses to briefly resume their old duties to cover for them.

As they settled down, Kion, having made himself comfortable on the platform over the pond, turned to a restless and bouncy Fuli, whose adrenaline flow seemed to be taking a bit longer to slow down and asked: "How did you guys even know where to find us? We only went to the Outlands on a bit of a whim."

"Hmm?" Fuli said as she realised Kion was talking to her. "Oh, um... well..." she mumbled, failing to distract anyone.

"You followed us." Jasiri piped in, her eyes twinkly as ever. "I saw you."

"Wait, what?" Kion turned to Jasiri, incredulous. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

Jasiri grinned and lied down on her back, with her feet resting on her stomach and her eyes staring straight up to the ceiling. "Well, I figured that she wanted to know what we were up to away from the Guard. She didn't want her presence to be known so I knew she wouldn't directly interfere until she had to. That's also why I felt a bit too safe in Janja's territory. The moment we crossed the border, I knew she got the Guard to back us up. Isn't that right, Fuli?"

Still a bit shaky, Fuli nodded absent-mindedly. "Yeah, you got it right. I was just looking out for the Guard's interest."

"And quite right too." Jasiri complimented her. "I might've been a bit overzealous with teaching you, "princey-wincey". Seems to me like you have a great team here."

Bunga appeared quite indignant. "Great team? We're the best team in the Pride Lands! And we don't need any teachings, do we Kion?"

Jasiri squinted at him. "You know, after all that fuss, I'd just _kill_ for a good snack." she licked her lips in overplayed anticipation. Bunga yelped and dived into the water and would've maybe even made it to Beshte's entrance had Ono not grabbed him by the back and held him firmly in his claws, calmly explaining that hyenas don't actually eat honey badgers.

* * *

"Jasiri..." Kion said slowly after the ruckus had ended. By that stage, everyone's favourite hyena was already going into a lazy sleep, not being able to leave the den until nightfall out of fear of being discovered.

"Hmm?" she mumbled.

"I was thinking..."

"Good."

"Jasiri!" Kion said more firmly to try and get his friend's attention. "I was thinking, after everything you told me today... we could really use someone like you on the Lion Guard."

That got everyone's attention.  
"Are you sure?" Fuli said with a dismissive frown. "I mean, she's not exactly inconspicuous, isn't she? What will the other animals say?"

"It doesn't matter what they say." Jasiri said, growling slightly as she shook off her sleep and got up. "I don't want to do it."

Kion seemed confused. "Why not? You understand the Circle of Life better than any one of us. I know the mistakes I've made in leadership, but you're... you're special!"

Fuli rolled her eyes. "Kion, you don't even know whether you can brand someone new as a member of the Guard. At least go to Rafiki before you do anything rash."

"No!" Jasiri said, in a non-argumentative tone of voice. "I'm not going to be a member of the Guard, Kion. And no..." she added as Kion began to say something. "I'm not worried about how the other animals would react. Or heh, how your father would. I just don't want to do it. I don't want to be a hero... okay?"

"Okay." Kion respected Jasiri too much to argue with her decision, although he decided mentally to ask his father about it at some point anyway, just to see if he'd agree.

"Anyway..." Jasiri said. "I really ought to go now. You better remember what I told you. There will be a test later!"

Jasiri leaped off the platform and disappeared away into the tunnel, leaving the Guard to awkwardly look after her.

* * *

After Jasiri's departure, the mood soon brightened up again, with the Guard taking the most out of their free day. Eventually though, all good things must come to an end and at nightfall, they each headed home(although Bunga promised to continue partying until light hit again).

Heading vaguely the same way, Kion and Fuli found themselves sharing a path.

"Pretty crazy day, wasn't it?" Fuli cracked a smile. Kion was used to taking this time to mulling over the day past so he nodded simply.

"I'm sorry you couldn't get Jasiri on the team. I mean, she was pretty clever and all."

"Doesn't mean she's gone for good, though." Kion replied. "She'll still be around."

Fuli scoffed. "Suuure she'll be. Kion, these things happen to everybody. Finding a friend who is open and sees you for who you truly are? Trust me, it's hard. I was just lucky to have my friend find me."

"That's great." Kion said, looking down at his paws. "Why do you think Jasiri doesn't want to be on the team?"

"Oh!" she groaned. "I don't know. Who can tell with thinkers? But I was right, wasn't I? She doesn't share your interests."

He shrugged. "I guess so."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _I'm sorry for the delay! I've never been very consistent with my writing so I can't provide you with a clear schedule. But never mind that. I really got into the groove this chapter so I made sure to get a lot of the immediate dramatic content done right now. The original purpose of this fanfic was merely to satiate all the pent-up Kion/Jasiri love so for the next few chapters, I think I'll do just that, and let the story and characters breathe a little._

 _*pinksakura271 - There's a lot of subtext in the Lion King/Guard and part of the fun in writing these fanfics is bringing it to the foreground and actively discussing it._

 _*Lion Len - Thanks! Yes, Simba and Jasiri sure have a lot to talk about..._

* _Ghost - Wow, I had no idea my story managed to capture your personality so well! Relax, I'm just teasing you. Thank you for the kind words!_

 _*Carmen738 - Thank you! I sent a message to you about that, hope you got it!_

 _*SennaFan4ever - It'll be a long and arduous journey, no doubt..._

 _*WolfOfLight77(Chapter 2) - It certainly is. We'll see how it goes..._

* _Anonymous13 B(Chapter 3) - In my mind, Fuli was ready to explode out of laughter, as she was not used to seeing anyone flirt with Kion. She never considered the possibility and now we may start to see the consequences of that._

 _*Anonymous13 B(Chapter 2) - Considering that females are typically in charge of hyena clans, I felt like exile from the pre-existing clan was the logical reason behind Jasiri and Janja's rivalry. That, and they're still teenagers so this is less of a grudge and more like the hyenas going all "Lord Of The Flies" and abandoning reason._

 _*Anonymous13 B(Chapter 1) - Kion's morning was basically based on my own, lol. Didn't really plan on having Zazu that involved, but I needed some way to get Kion and Jasiri alone and he ensured it best._

 _*I'm a Jesus Freak - Well, here you are, you Freak!_

* _Juimy1 - Yes! Yes! A million times yes!_

 _*v.t.7 - Alright, going with that then. Thank you for appreciating the background details! I just felt like I had to give Jasiri a bit more than "random hyena", even if the latter may be more realistic._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Well, here it is!_

* _Lauren - That's really what I wanted to hear. I've been worrying about my Kion/Jasiri. Who are Maia and Max?_

 _*cherry12 - Took the words right out of my mouth. I hope not to trod on the Lion Guard episodes too much, but you can be sure I'm not going to be held back by continuity. If Jasiri reappears though, I won't leave that unnoticed either._


	5. Chapter 5

Fuli smiled as she saw the lion prince, still slightly groggy from waking early, tumbling towards her from the horizon. It was so much better to be a cheetah than any other animal, she thought. For some reason, they were all so slow. Slow to think, slow to run, slow to wake... although she would never think of herself as being better than any of her friends on the Guard, she did sometimes shake her head at their endless love odes to laziness. Hakuna Matata, Zuka Zama... whatever. And there came the prince himself.

"Kion!" she called, widening her grin. "Come on now, you wouldn't want to miss the patrol, would you?"

Of all the Guard members, she regarded Kion with the greatest fondness. For starters, his family was legendary for being wise and kind rulers and had successfully managed one of the oldest prides for generations. But as a person, Kion had given her a sense of purpose and a family who looked upon her with no overbearing expectations. His dedication to protecting the Pride Lands continued to motivate her every day to strive for the same and though they didn't always agree on everything, Fuli was proud to have him as her best friend.

Recently, though, she'd been troubled by his insistence on spending increasingly more time away from his duties at the apparent whims of the hyena girl from the Outlands, Jasiri. Apart from being grateful for her saving Kion when the Guard couldn't reach him, Fuli had thought little of the stranger until she returned time and time again and each time, Kion seemed happier away from what had practically defined him - his loyalty to friends, family and his kingdom. Furthermore, she... missed him. She liked to think that she was looking out for the Guard by keeping him grounded to it, but she felt like she and Kion had something that the other Lion Guard members didn't, some sort of deeper understanding. She had begun to take it for granted once the Guard settled into routine, but now that Jasiri had entered the picture and started messing with Kion, she found his absence hard to bear. It's like something was missing, the days felt empty and lonely and though she was happy to help those in need, the passionate teamwork had disappeared. She did notice that his absence affected the others as well, but they seemed more rudderless than anything, as they were used to have Kion do all the thinking.

She needed his heart, not his head.

Fortunately, the hyena girl had proved to him that like all of her kind, she was bereft of responsibility. What the hell was she thinking, taking Kion into the Outlands like that? Kion didn't seem to share her suspicions about Jasiri's motives, but at the very least, the two of them were no longer meeting. In the meantime, she arranged for them to comb through the southern part of the Pride Lands together.

* * *

Kion nuzzled his friend for good morning and the two of them sprinted together, getting the sleep out of their bones permanently. The lion prince couldn't have been more grateful to Fuli for her increasing support and warmth. It was particularly surprising considering that of all the Guard members, he'd known Fuli the least. Bunga and him had been best friends ever since Timon and Pumbaa found him and introduced him to the other pride members. Beshte was always hanging around at the waterhole and they had played a lot as well. Ono had helped out the lionesses with his vision on occasion and they'd become friends.

But apart from a few stray encounters, he and Fuli had had little to no contact with one another until Kion asked her to join the Pride, because of her reputation as the fastest animal in the Pride Lands. And yet, here he was, and he had to admit that if something ever happened to him, he'd choose Fuli to lead without hesitation. He admired her to no end for her steely determination and joyful energy. She always knew exactly when to help him and when to reprimand him. It was as though they had some secret understanding that nobody else was privy to.

Which is exactly what he needed right now of all times...

* * *

Working together, the two of them had cleared the southern half of the Pride Lands within a few hours and were on their way to the waterhole when Kion started to talk.

"Fuli?"

"Yeah, what is it?" she asked.

Kion stopped in his tracks. "Can you, uh... I mean..." he stammered, not meeting Fuli's inquisitive eyes. "You like to hunt, right?"

Fuli sat on her rump in front of him. "Sure! I've never seen a cheetah who hasn't! What is it?"

"Uh... can you, can you... well, teach me a little?" Kion said, finally looking up. "I mean, with all the Guard stuff going and... well, I've never really had the chance to properly do it."

"You've never hunted?" Fuli asked, looking incredulous. "At all?"

"I've done a lot of training exercises with my mom." He said. "But we never really got to the point, where... you know."

Fuli finished for him. "Where you kill." She'd experienced one of their training exercises first-hand and knew exactly how true-to-life it was.

Kion nodded quietly and continued: "I have to do it if I'm going to be a proper lion. I thought... you could help me? Somehow?" He stared at Fuli with a combination of fear and innocence that made her want to hug him.

"Well..." she said. "Um, of course I will, but when?"

"Meet me tonight at the lair, when the stars go out."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Lesson of the day - never make promises. I say silly Kion/Jasiri oneshot chapter, I come out with a Kion/Fuli drama chapter. Good lord... but really, I just felt like I had to build on the relationship between Kion and Fuli to justify her being a part of the love triangle. She's not going to be just the token jealous girl. So, a little bit of patience with those Kion/Jasiri sugary moments?_

 _*v.t.7 - It's a little more than a conspiracy theory... although a little less than the truth._

 _*Anonymous13 B - Thanks. I'm really happy with the way I wrote Janja too..._

 _*DragoonSensei - I'll do my best. But then again, that's probably what Mufasa and Bambi's mom thought._

 _*Ghost - Much thanks!_

 _*Juria - Thank you, I try to be as natural as possible. That's one of the reasons why my stories never seem to follow my predictions, because the characters take on a life of their own._

 _*cherry12 - We'll get back to Jasiri soon... she's definitely not yet ready for the Guard right now, but who knows where her destiny lies?_

 _*I'm a Jesus Freak - Aww, I'm so glad to hear I'm wanted. Hope you enjoy this one!_

 _*Carmen738 - I think they should definitely be together in the show, yes. It'd be nice for them to explore romance, although maybe later on, when the characters are visibly older._


	6. Chapter 6

As the oppressive darkness of the night gripped the Pride Lands and the last tint of orange faded from the sky, Fuli's eyes blinked open. Having slept for the past few hours to prepare for a long, difficult night, she was filled with energy and slightly jittery from nervous anticipation. She didn't really know what she was going to tell Kion. After all, she'd chased and caught and ended the lives of other animals for as long as she'd known the sun and the stars. How do you teach that to someone?

It was right there and then that she came to the decision not to teach it at all. Kion had to find that bravery from within him. And she didn't doubt for a second that he would. He was courageous, strong-willed, smart, tough, wise...

A bird's call in the night snapped Fuli out of her semi-dreaming fantasies and she set off for the Lion Guard's lair. At this hour, there was no chance anybody would be there. Bunga slept at the Hakuna Matata Falls with his crazy uncles, Ono had a nest somewhere and Beshte was with his family. None of them were nocturnal by any measure.

It would be just her and Kion. He needed her help, that's why she was part of the team and she was not about to let her m- her what? Her friend... down now.

* * *

With her fast legs, Fuli moved so quietly and expertly that not even a bat would've done more than twitch. Soon, her gleaming eyes caught sight of the thick woods surrounding the hidden lair. She sped up, her feet barely touching the grass beneath and moved like a spear heading for its target until her ears caught up with her movement and she came to a screeching halt.

Of course, there was nothing strange about stray conversations in the night. There were many species who preferred the cover or temperature or mood of the night. But these voices seemed more familiar than the whispers of the night would be to her. And they came straight from towards the lair's entrance. Her curiosity awakened, she slowly edged herself closer towards the portal as if she really was hunting, staying low and focused, hoping to catch a word or a phrase.

"HAHAHAHA!"

Fuli's fur bristled and she snarled. The laughter of a hyena was amongst the most hated sounds in the Pride Lands. Jasiri... and the softer tones obviously belonged to Kion. How?! How could _this_ happen?! Making no attempt to disguise her approach, Fuli swatted the vines and leaves out of her way in the entrance and crossed the tunnel easily with experienced athletic movements.

Inside the shadowy cave were the hyena and her lion, just as Fuli expected. Jasiri had her usual smug grin plastered on her face whereas Kion was staring at the floor, digging into the hard rock with his claws.

"Oh! So that's what you were hiding!" Jasiri said, looking at the grumpy cheetah with amusement. "A midnight rendezvous in your home away from home? You should've told me, Kion... I might've given you a few tips!" Jasiri passed by the crestfallen lion and tickled his chin with a swish of her tail.

"That's... that's not what's going on." Kion managed to say, too overwhelmed to get his words out properly. "Jasiri..."

"Never mind about that." Fuli cut in, elegantly walking down the natural steps. "What we're doing here is our business. What are _you_ doing here?" She asked Jasiri in an sharp tone. "You rejected the Guard just like you rejected your hyena clan! If you can't live life the way we do it or the way your despicable kind does, then stop following us around like a miserable coyote! We are _not_ the same!"

Kion rose up, his voice gaining strength. "That's not fair, Fuli. She was just here to talk to me."

Now it was the cheetah's turn to let out a cackle. "Hah! Talk? All she ever does is talk! We help other animals, protect the Pride Lands, keep the peace and all she does is steal our scraps and try to make herself look like a hero."

Jasiri's grin widened at the insults, until she was a shadow of Janja. "Spoken like a true Pridelander. Hoarding all the prey and covering up the borders in fear of every starving creature just needing a bite to eat! These lands belong to the Circle Of Life, not some upstart king on a big rock! Which means back away, prince!" She growled at Kion, who had been trying to get between her and Fuli.

Jasiri gave them both a look of utter disgust, her eyes glinting of unshed tears and walked past the two to leave before turning back for a moment. "I'm going back to the Outlands. I trust I'll be outta the way there."

* * *

After she'd gone, Kion gave Fuli a withering glare. "What got into you?! She was just..."

"Visiting?" The cheetah venomously replied. "Talking? Kion, she's exactly the same sort of manipulative, high-handed coward like all the other hyenas, just one who happened to have a brain by genetic defect!

Kion couldn't believe what he was hearing. With Jasiri, he had hoped to finally reunite the hyenas and lions in mutual cooperation in a way that Scar failed to, maybe not now, for sure, but in the future. He'd planned it all out... Jasiri would be on the team, her presence would prove the species' worth to his father, he would subsequently prove her worth to the animals and who knows what then? And now his so-called trusted friend's vindictive comments had effectively ended that pursuit, possibly forever.

"Jasiri was right." He said in an icy tone. "Why should I protect the Pride Lands if any one of them are as bad or worse than you are? My father told me..." he started laughing horribly. "We're not rulers, we're shepherds. Do you know what I think, Fuli? I don't think my father wants to be the King. I don't think my sister wants to be the Queen. And I _know_ that I don't want to lead any lion guard."

Leaving Fuli stunned in his wake, Kion ran out into the night in search of the only person he planned to share his life with from now on.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Well, you know something like this had to happen eventually with these two. Let's just hope the damage isn't irreparable. I just want to say how glad I am to have your reviews. It was in huge part thanks to you that I was inspired to aim a little higher than a straightforward fluffy-fic. I would like to reiterate that those in favor of simple Kion/Jasiri love are going to be rewarded for their patience with my faux-Shakespearean ambitions. After all, Kion has to win her back now, doesn't he? :D_

 _*SennaFan4ever(Chapter 4) - I'm going to get into that in the next chapter. I really hope they somehow get her into the team in the actual show at some point. It'd be win-win for everyone. Kids get to learn from her and fans like us would get so much more material!_

 _*SennaFan4ever(Chapter 5) - Aww, I'm glad you do. I knew people were going to miss Jasiri a bit, but it was time to introduce the competition, so to speak._

 _*pinksakura271(Chapter 4) - OMG I'm so sorry I forgot to respond to this review last time... I was so embarrassed discovering it today. He does indeed recognise just how special she is... in good times and bad. And as for the offer, let's see about that, eh?_

 _*pinksakura271(Chapter 5) - Yeah, about that... sorry._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - That's a great compliment, thank you!_

 _*I'm a Jesus Freak - Are you referring to Kion/Fuli or Kion/Jasiri when you mean romance?_

 _*Flower99Upendi - That's exactly what I was aiming for. So often in fiction you see the two who are meant to be and the jealous one. I wanted to blur that and give both of them an equal chance, because they both deserve him in different ways._

 _*Juria - You must be really happy now..._

 _*cherry12 - Understatement of the century..._

 _*Ghost - Over the rainbow..._

 _*Kion the Lion - I'm glad you do. Your love keeps me going._

 _*v.t.7 - You are most definitely not wrong about the love triangle. And yes, it does take place after "Fuli's New Family". Fuli is remembering the ineffective, child-friendly teachings Kiara and Kion got when he makes his plea._

 _*Anonymous13 B - Whilst I do think that they should've established the Guard members more clearly, I'm pretty sure the show is going to tackle that eventually. After all, we did get Bunga's backstory already. As for Kion's hunt, I can say it's not going to be forgotten even in the light of these new events... thank you for the kind words!_


	7. Chapter 7

Unable to sleep after the ordeal at the lair, Fuli sprinted around the Pride Lands for hours, unsuccessfully trying to burn the memory from her brain. She ultimately came to a stop at a cliff overlooking a large valley and collapsed there, now miserable both mentally and physically. The birds were already chirping as she slowly passed out into a feverish, unpleasant sleep.

However, she woke almost as soon as her head had begun to rest on the ground, or so it seemed when Ono knocked gently on her head with his beak!

"What the hell?!" she shouted suddenly, causing Ono to quickly flap off.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Fuli, but we need your help. There's a..." Ono began quickly explaining, but Fuli talked over him. "Not interested! Go bother some other cheetah!"

Ono looked at him, puzzled. "Are you okay? You seem a little... tense."

Fuli growled. "Do I? Do you wanna see how tense you are after I take a bite out of you? Let's just say I'm taking... a day... off." She left him terrified with an unnerving grin and headed towards the jungle, hoping to avoid any questioning animals. Fuli regretted insulting Ono almost immediately and shook her head. This was not a good day.

Soon enough, she heard the sound of running water and found a stream to dunk her head in, hoping to clear her cobwebbed brain. The cool water felt soothing and brought her horrible mood down, only to be replaced with a horrible feeling of guilt. What was she thinking, saying all of that out loud? Though she wasn't particularly fond of the hyena brat, there was no reason that she could see now to go berating her for the mistakes of her ancestors. She'd never been like that. What happened?

In her mind, Fuli traced back the memory. She had been so excited to spend the night with Kion... no, no, wrong thought! She had been so excited to _help_ Kion... and then found the arrogant hyena chatting up with him, flirting with him... it was just wrong! Wait, were they even flirting? Fuli looked at the memory from every angle. No... no they weren't. She had been defending her m- her friend from nothing. Who was she to judge whether or not Jasiri should be friends with the Guard or not? This didn't make any sense...

* * *

Kion chased after Jasiri, his mind ablaze, all of his focus on the muddy pawprints he found here and there. Though it was hard to discern whether they were even Jasiri's, he was sure that as long as they kept in the general direction of the Outlands, he was going the right way.

But nevertheless, stray rational thoughts soon started to break in. He was trying his damnest to send them all to hell. This was the right thing to do... for _him._ When Jasiri had first declined his plea to have her join the Lion Guard, he had been confused and slightly hurt. He had seen it so clearly, so obviously, the future they could have... that Fuli's petty outburst had shattered something in him. Kion didn't want to talk to his father. He didn't want to talk to his mother. He didn't want to talk with the Guard. They were loyal, but they couldn't see things like Jasiri could. They'd all shown him the true face of life, one way or another. This was just the breaking point.

Right?

Kion scowled and slowed down. "I don't have to be in charge. I shouldn't be in charge. I..." Two lives fought for dominance in his head. In one, he abandoned his friends and family and lived with Jasiri in the Outlands, doing heaven knows what. Hakuna Matata. In the other, he found a way to bring Jasiri back into the Outlands, confronted Fuli and somehow searched for a way to change the animals' minds, no matter how hard that might be. Sisi Ni Sawa. It wasn't a long contest. Responsibility was a core part of what made him who he was. Fuli's response had shocked him, but he was recovering. With all of his duties, the lion prince was still a youth and hadn't lost the tendency to fool himself just yet.

However, he still had to find Jasiri. And thus he kept going until he found the long, hidden pathway that led back to the Outlands, to Jasiri's den. Though she had visited him countless of times since they first met here, Lion Guard duty had kept him from coming to see her.

* * *

Jasiri was still shaking when she finally stumbled back into her hidden cave beneath the canyons. That pushy, hairy, stinky, ugly cheetah! She had felt the urge to try and rip out her throat, but knew that it would make her no better than Janja and his clan.

She knew she shouldn't have pushed Kion away the way she had, but she was sick to death of his _Lion Guard_. The name itself was a perfect representation of everything she despised about the Pridelanders and their ways. It was this deep-rooted hatred of their inequality that had driven the hyenas even further from the Circle Of Life than the lions, but sometimes, Jasiri just couldn't be the best. Especially when her kind was being paraded around as thieves in front of her face by a so-called friend!

And now, her lapse in judgment might have cost her the only person who could turn things around. The only person besides a monkey from another age who shared her vision.

But at her very heart, even that wasn't the reason she started sobbing. She just ran away from her first and only friend.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Oh my... Jasiri really needs a comforting paw right now... say, is that Kion I hear? WOOPS, CHAPTER OVER. XD_

 _*juimytiger1(Chapter 1) - I sincerely hope you enjoy it and continue to review..._

 _*ghost - MG?_

 _*cherry12 - Reading too much into this is what makes fanfics fanfics, lol!_

 _*I'm a Jesus Freak - That compliment just made my day. Thank you so much. I saw a romance between Kion and Fuli from some of their lighter interactions on the show. In the recent episodes, that's kind of been missing though. I hope they won't have them argue all the time, like they did in "Fuli's New Family"._

 _*pinksakura271 - Who knows what she meant... yes, Fuli will have quite a task ahead of her._

 _*Kion the Lion - If this was one of the movies, she'd make a song and dance about it, probably._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Drama seems to be my bread and butter... but just you wait til next chapter!_

 _*DragoonSensei - Thank you! I'm glad you approve._

 _*Juria - Let's not give up on Fuli yet... she's going through some conflicting feelings right now._

 _*FanficFan920 - Angry outbursts usually do... but I agree with you, I think I didn't do a good enough job clarifying what was going through the characters' heads, hence this chapter. Thank you so much for your input! I'll try to be more careful in the future._


	8. Chapter 8

Jasiri shook her head, trying desperately to stop the flow of tears. Enough was enough. Even if there was nobody out there right now who shared her respect for the Circle Of Life, she was _not_ going to be the last one. She was going to be the first. That's what she had said to Rafiki, the old monkey who found her nearly starved at the border between the Outlands and the Pride Lands. She had been forced out by her hyena clan and was terrified to cross the border and break the Lion King's law. So she merely middled in-between, rejected by both sides, until by chance, the monkey had come across her and offered a hand. Well, at least he did after he convinced her not to eat him straight away.

Hoping to instill that same generosity into her, Rafiki had let her stay at his tree for a short while, until she grew tired of hiding and went off on her own, swearing to be herself no matter what she encountered in life. After all, her self was all she had. And that would never change.

Jasiri closed her eyes, thus forcing herself to stop and laid on the rock floor, feeling utterly defeated. Like any animal, she wanted comfort and for the first time, had actively sought it out, only to receive a painful reminder of what she was up against. Thus, she had lashed out, not at Kion or Fuli, but at what they represented, the continued omnipresence of Scar and his defiling of nature itself for his greedy purposes. Ages ago, Scar had possessed the magic of the Roar and had led a Lion Guard of his own, but misused it to torment those he wielded power over. When Jasiri's ancestors complained, the vile creature had tricked his brother, the King into believing that the hyenas were the offenders and received authority to banish them to the Outlands.  
After the hunger and the boredom had done its work upon the hyenas, Scar had returned and blamed Mufasa for forcing him to abuse them, riling the hyenas up and convincing them to murder the watchful Lion Guard itself in exchange for eventual returned freedom in the Pride Lands with Scar as their new, benevolent King. Thus, the Circle Of Life was broken, with the lions and hyenas now trapped in mutual hatred for each other's nonexistent crimes.

Jasiri didn't want any of that. But she had a conscience, and as long as she lived, she would fight bird and beast for the future, because it was the right thing to do. And she knew exactly how to start.

Suddenly, she perked up as a figure appeared at the cave entrance. She let out a sigh as he approached apologetically and smiled at him. "Hey."

* * *

Kion stormed through the canyon, scratching his paws on the sharp rocks that littered the place, trying to find just a trace of Jasiri somewhere. He wanted, needed to prove to her and to himself, that his loyalty to the Lion Guard was more than just a matter of duty, it was also about protecting loved ones and standing up for them in times of need. For the first time, he realised that the Pride Lands would never be safe unless those inside it felt safe, felt as if they belonged. Jasiri did not and he was going to fix that.

Fortunately, he had gone through extensive Lion Guard training with his family and knew how to find a good hiding spot. A small crack in the canyon wall led to an area blocked off by rockfalls, where the entrance to a cave was hidden. There, he finally caught her familiar, reassuring smell.

Kion walked into the cave and saw her in the shadows, lying on the floor. "Hey."

Suddenly, the sad hyena was transformed into the hunched, mocking visage of a vulture. "Hello yourself, Kion. What brings you to these dreary lands?" Mzingo replied, grinning inanely. Kion backed away in surprise.

* * *

"Mzingo! What're you doing here?! What have you done with Jasiri?!" Kion demanded, unleashing his claws in preparation. Mzingo appeared to be unperturbed.

"Oh, Jasiri dear? Why, you've only just missed her! We just had the most interesting conversation. Something about... "that scrawny cheetah"? I don't suppose you'd know anything about that?" The vulture said, giving him a bemused, but analytical look.

Kion growled. "That's none of your business. When did she go? What do you know about her?"

"Well, to follow your admirable diplomacy, that's none of _your_ business. If Jasiri has a score to settle, I'm only too happy to help. One has to _eat_. Something that you and your family understand so very well."

Kion widened his eyes in horror. "I won't let that happen." He ran out of the cave, through the crack and quickly started sniffing the air to pick up her trace again. Mzingo followed over his head.

"Kion, Kion, Kion..." he sighed melodramatically, shaking his beaked head and landed next to the lion. "Do you really think you can get out of this maze more easily than someone who's followed these routes all her life?" He approached Kion and spoke in a conspiratorial tone. "At least, not without help, hmm?"

Kion sighed, considering his options. "What do you want?" He said at last.

"For reuniting you with that extraordinary hyena? Quite simple: I want the truth."

"The truth? Truth about what?"

"What happened to her? And don't bother asking why, because I'm not going to tell you. I don't have time to wax lyrical, so let's just skip the gentle lies and get straight to the shady bottom of politics, shall we? Your speedy cheetah's life spared from very sharp claws, in exchange for all the ugly details. Think fast."

Kion moved away from Mzingo and clenched his jaw in frustration. The vultures were renowned for both their intelligence and more importantly, for never doing anything that didn't benefit them and the idea of Mzingo benefitting somehow from Jasiri was more than enough to make him suspicious, but there was no choice. Fuli's very life depended on it. He'll deal with Mzingo later, he decided.

"Fuli, Jasiri and I got into an argument. Fuli thought Jasiri was trying to leech off of us. Jasiri thought we were both being unfair to other animals. She ran out on us. That's it, now take me to her!"

Mzingo gave him another toothy grin. "But of course. Simply go left, then right, up a few meters, left, left, down the steps, right, right, left and you should be out. Bye!"

Kion tried to grapple onto him as the treacherous vulture flapped off the ground. "Wait! You're not going anywhere!" he yelled, but Mzingo simply knocked on his head once with his beak, causing the lion to release him, with only a few ripped feathers in his paw as pain burst through his skull and he became blinded with bright light and dizziness.

* * *

Fuli was lying on the ground near a waterfall, too distraught to even hunt. The brunt of her actions had finally caught up with her and made her realise what a hypocrite she had been to insult Jasiri the way she had, when in truth they were no different...

She winced, when she heard a bird approach, having specifically sought out this part of the jungle for isolation. She didn't want to do any Guard mission and she wasn't ready to face either Kion or Jasiri yet.

But when she looked up, her face completely blanked, because the intruder was quite unexpected... the slimy vulture, Mzingo. He landed close by and seemed completely disinterested in her, taking a drink and breathing heavily. He looked like he'd been through a scuffle and due to age, had lost quite a few feathers in it.

Though Fuli knew that he wasn't exactly the kindest individual in the Pride Lands, she felt like she had to make up for her recent actions and wanted to show a bit of kindness. "Um... are... you alright? Mzingo?"

Mzingo blinked, as if only now noticing that she was there. "Oh, please!" He shouted, extending his wings in defence. "Please don't hurt me! I can't, I..."

Fuli's eyes widened. "Hey, hey, hey! I'm not gonna hurt you! Okay? Mzingo?"

"You aren't?"

"No! I mean... not unless you've done something worthy of fighting over." Fuli clarified. Mzingo dropped down his wings and, looking older than Fuli had ever seen him be in their brief encounters before, collapsed, still trying to get back his breath.

"I've just... had a rather nasty run-in... with a hyena." He explained.

"Wait..." Fuli frowned. "Aren't you like the hyenas' best buddy? What's going on?"

Mzingo stood up again, shaking. "Nothing is going on." He muttered. "Not all the hyenas are as easily led as Janja. His sister, Jasiri, for example..."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _And the plot thickens... :D I can tell you right now that Mzingo and Jasiri go waaaaay back. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, leave a review below, they're my fuel!_

 _*Guest - Here you go!_

 _*the6thranger - I agree with you 100%. They're a bit messed up right now because of the conflict of different ideologies, but their hearts are true to one another._

 _*peoplearestrange - Super glad to hear it!_

 _*Juria - Thank you xinfinity!_

 _*pinksakura271 - Oh dear, more interruptions... I AM EVIL._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - What's so good about popcorn? I've never understood it... it's like salty cardboard._

 _*cherry12 - Indeed, I feel like people don't credit the youngsters enough. They do a HELL of a lot of thinking._

 _*Anonymous 13 B(Chapter 7) - I'm so used to mild profanity that I don't even notice it, lol. It actually irritated my third grade English teacher, who called me out for saying "damn week". I was like "Err... where's the swear?" Jasiri and Fuli have more in common than they realise and at least Fuli seems to be beginning to realise it... although what exactly_ it _is, I'm not saying yet. The callback to the hyenas, yes... that was just me not being able to resist._

 _*Anonymous13 B(Chapter 6) - Yes, as I mentioned in our messages, I felt like I hurried Chapter 6 a little bit too much, but in hindsight, it was probably for the best. After all, what we all want deep down is the fluffy romance... :D Yes, that "shadow of Janja" thing really was interesting, wasn't it...?_


	9. Chapter 9

"His _what_?!" Fuli exclaimed in disbelief.

Mzingo looked up from the river, apparently confused. "His sister Jasiri. It is a family clan, after all."

Fuli's brow furrowed and she started looking at Mzingo with distrust. "Jasiri saved Kion's life. If she was part of Janja's clan, why would she do that? What has she got to gain from that?" Her stare intensified. "You know, there's a reason why we all stay away from the vultures..."

"You mean besides the fact that we're the last thing any of you see before you die?" Mzingo added with a smirk.

Fuli continued as if she hadn't heard him. "Because you take advantage of others. You wouldn't be trying to... lie to me now, would you Mzingo?"

"Of course I would." Mzingo said. "But there's a time and a place for everything. Right now, all I want is a nice, long rest from that ghastly mutt."

"Jasiri... did this to you?" Fuli asked, confused. From what little she knew of the hyena, she seemed like the peaceful sort. Perhaps too peaceful, but that wasn't exactly a crime.

Mzingo flailed around with his ragged, colorless wings. "Yes! She returned to the Outlands, furious beyond measure! I tried to soothe her, but... " he let out a small chuckle. "Hyenas."

"And she really is Janja's sister?"

Mzingo nodded, his pain seemingly gone now. "Oh yes. They're the descendants of a particularly... dominant breed of hyenas, more intelligent than others, to our grievous misfortune. Janja and Jasiri are the head of the clan. Often at odds, but never too far from one another."

"But then what is she _doing_ here, messing with Kion, messing with all of us?"

"How should I know?!" Mzingo indignantly shouted, flapping into air. "I'm not their majordomo! They're probably... trying to win his trust or... or... lower your Guard's guard or something! Don't ask me!"

Fuli took a step back. "I'm sorry, Mzingo! I didn't mean to upset you!" Her mind was racing about as fast as she usually was

Mzingo snorted. "If you really want to know the truth behind this debacle, then you ought to stop hiding behind this veneer of compassion. You're a cheetah! _Go hunt!_ "

* * *

Jasiri shuffled impatiently as she hid in the very ditch she'd used as rudimentary shelter after first leaving her clan. Cast out by her own brother. Bored out of her wits, she made figures in the dirt with her paws to pass the time. The ditch itself was very small. It had been quite a comfortable hiding place, when she was a little cub, but now, not so much.

She raised her head as much as she could, hoping to catch a glimpse of the returning vulture in the sky, but Mzingo was still nowhere to be seen. How long does it take to fly around and search for the Guard? It was probably his age, she figured.

To her surprise, she found that she was quite jittery. She'd never been nervous before. Angry, yes, afraid, certainly. She needed to know how Kion felt about her now that Fuli had dragged the dreck out in the open. Going to the Pride Lands herself was out of the question at the moment, so Mzingo had volunteered. Fuli felt her heart warm, thinking of the old creature.

Though Mzingo was old and irritable and made it clear that he always worked for himself, he was reliable enough and had been her only contact with the rest of her clan since her exile at Janja's paws. In exchange for the food she hunted, he would tell her everything that Janja planned, no matter what. Of course, with that in mind, Jasiri had asked him whether he delivered information about her back to Janja too...  
But Janja had never cared enough to ask.

Finally! The ancient bird appeared in her eyesight, flying closer and closer until landing right above Jasiri's hiding place. She crawled and jumped out of the ditch to meet him. "Mzingo! What took you so long?"

Mzingo's head twitched. "First rule of the vultures. Learn _all_ you can. And sadly... I have."

Jasiri felt a lump rising in her throat, but forced it down, keeping the chirpy facade on her face. "What is it?"

"Fuli... is, erm... organizing some kind of a strike, it seems. Not just the Lion Guard, but all the fastest and strongest and fiercest and what else... more like a Lion Army, if you asked me. I almost..." he coughed to punctuate his point. "didn't make it back myself." Mzingo presented his torn wings. "Don't worry, the lion prince is quite out of the picture. She's got him wrapped around her finger, searching for imaginary threats."

"No..." Jasiri said quietly, looking more forlorn than Mzingo had ever seen her in all the years. This only intensified his speech. "Might I provide a suggestion?"

Jasiri looked up, curious, but wary. "What?"

"Well, it seems to me that your troubles start and end with that cheetah... without her, your friendship with Kion would've remained undisturbed. Your, what was it called, "Sisi Ni Sawa"...? Might've been the motto of the Lion Guard. And that could still happen. If you just got her... out of the picture, if you know what I mean?"

Jasiri jumped back, in shock. "No! I'm not going to kill Kion's friend!"

"Friend is a relative term when it comes to the future of the Pride Lands, is it not?" Mzingo suggested. "Kion has something most animals, particularly scavengers, never get to touch... power. Power to change things for the better. After all, we all get eaten one way or another... the only thing that matters is if it's for a good cause. And you know that the cheetah's death would only benefit you... and by extension Kion... and by extension, the Pride Lands."

The hyena blinked, trying to grasp Mzingo's insane logic. "But he'd hate me... and he'd be right to do so! This is exactly the sort of thinking that led Scar to murder!"

Mzingo smiled. "Yes, it is. And Scar became King! An incompetent and greedy one yes, but... those are qualities he does not share with Kion. The plan itself... is foolproof!"

* * *

Kion rubbed his face as he regained consciousness, a panging pain in his head reminding him of why he was here.

"Ooh." The familiar oily voice said. Despite his fatigue, he turned furiously to see Mzingo sitting in the dark, in the upper alcove of the same cave they'd met in. How did he get here again? His memories were still slightly fuzzy.

"That's gonna leave a mark, I should say." Mzingo gloated.

"What did you do?" Kion asked, fearing the answer.

The vulture replied enigmatically: "Oh, this and that." He then let out an uncharacteristic laugh. "My, my, how awful of me. Do forgive me, I've been spending far too much time around Janja. But I simply could not contain my glee, you see!"

"I don't see. What. Did. You. Do?!" Kion shouted.

"My plan! Meticulous, perfect in every possible way, save one detail which I will add soon. Would you like me to tell you about it?" He continued before Kion had a chance to reply. "Well, of course you would. You see, me and my vultures, we get... hungry, a lot. And sometimes we do rather tire of Janja's continued incompetence at removing your annoying Guard. So when your little spat with your girlfriends..."

"They're not my girlfriends!" Kion protested.

"Ah, I see the cliche of the blind male rings true in your case. Well, it doesn't matter, they'll be dead anyway." Mzingo said victoriously.

Kion growled. "Not if I use the Roar to get out of here and get to them before something happens!"

"No point now, they're far, far, faaaar away, probably tearing each other apart as we speak. You see, here's the thing... Fuli, well, she comes from a long family of intellectuals. A family that she may not particularly connect to, but which would take notice of her death... let's just say the consequences would be severe. And then there is Jasiri, sister of your long-running best friend Janja. You didn't know, did you?"

"It doesn't matter! She's my friend and I'm going to help her! You're only trying to slow me down!" Kion ran out of the cave and jumped into one of the long roads of the canyon with Mzingo right behind him, continuing as if nothing had happened.

"Anyway, Janja might act like he doesn't care, but every hyena has a heart undernearth all that crawling hunger and I'd wager the death of his sister at the hands of a Lion Guard member just might motivate him to go out and seek out some family connections... the resulting conflict would tear the Pride Lands into pieces! Even your magic Roar couldn't fight it and certainly not your father's comfortable lionesses!"

Kion only ran faster.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _To those of you who might be concerned about Mzingo's increased presence, he's really just adding fuel to the pre-existing fire. Who knows, the situation might've led to the Jasiri-Fuli conflict regardless of Mzingo's actions. He's taking advantage of what he already saw, bringing out the worst in both of them._

 _*Kion the Lion - Kion was grabbing onto him, yes. Mzingo knocked him out whilst trying to get free._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Tastes like cardboard to me lol..._

 _*I'm a Jesus Freak - Mzingo is a little devil. But you'll see his actions may yet have a positive outcome... :D_

 _*pinksakura271 - Fuli isn't entirely falling for it, but she will listen... sadly, that's all Mzingo needs. He's so good, he's making people listen despite outright saying that he's a villain. Also, if we're talking about roasted bird here, I want the leg._

 _*Juria - Mzingo has a lot of potential, which I feel the show isn't using so I made him the star for a few chapters! Thanks for the support!_

 _*cherry12 - He was just trolling Kion hard... and yes, the love is growing. They still need to figure it out, but it's there._

 _*DragoonSensei - Nope._

 _*Anonymous13 B - I don't think I should be giving myself praise, but I'm really happy with how things went with Scar's backstory. I'm a huge fan of Machiavellian plots, so I thought I'd twist the knife a bit and make Scar responsible for the conflict in the first place. I hope you enjoyed seeing more of Mzingo!_

 _*the6thranger - There can never be enough sass in the world, lol._

 _*Hoping 4 a Dream - Okay._

 _*Guest - Woo-hoo._

 _*v.t.7(Chapter 6) - I'm actually a bit uncertain about how I wrote that chapter, it might've been a bit rushed, but I'm so glad you found the heart in it!_

 _*v.t.7(Chapter 7) - One thing I can vouch for is that teenagers think a LOT. Far more than adults give them credit for, actually. Kion, Fuli and Jasiri have a lot of emotions going through them, which they don't yet understand._

 _*v.t.7(Chapter 8) - Why would I be disappointed, lol? I love to see you guys guessing! I feel like the readers are getting themselves involved, which is terrific. I really think Jasiri and Janja might be siblings too, I definitely got a bit of that vibe when watching their interactions._


	10. Chapter 10

Kion clambered through a pile of heavy rocks that had collapsed into the canyon years ago. The effort to keep his tired, bruised body going was taking its toll on Kion, but this was what he was born to do - save the Pride Lands. Mzingo flew between him and the sun in circles, causing shadows to constantly flicker across the ground, distracting him further. As a result, Kion couldn't exactly tell where he was going, although it didn't make much of a difference considering that he didn't know the canyon anyway... he was just hoping he was right.

Kion blinked and saw a wall ahead. Left, another wall, right, another wall. A dead end. He sighed and collapsed in a brief moment of defeat despite his mind screaming at him to get up and run.

"Hey boys, looks like dinner's served!"

A surge of adrenaline pushed Kion's eyes open. Janja was on top of huge boulder, opposite of him. Other hyenas were emerging from the cracks and holes between the rocks, with hungry grins on their faces. He had been expected.

Mzingo landed next to Kion. "Oh, I'm sorry, Kion. But I'm afraid my moment of antagonistic indulgence comes at a price. Can't have you spoiling my relationship with the others by telling the truth about my plans, you know! And I am woefully ill-equipped to kill you on my own, so..." he gestured with his wing towards the hyenas, who were already licking their mouths in preparation.

Kion snarled and turned towards Janja. "Janja! You can't trust him! He's a vulture - he's trying to manipulate everyone just to fill his stomach! If his plan works, Jasiri will die too!"

Janja threw back his head and laughed hoarsely. "I don't know what you've been eating, but I'd sure like some! Mzingo's probably the only one who cares about my wishy-washy sister!"

"Of course!" Mzingo replied, flying to a boulder next to Janja, taking up position below him. Winking at Kion, he said: "She's a thinker, like me, so naturally we must be on the same side, right?"

"Hah, right!" said Janja. "Now then... who's ready for some corn cubs? HAHAHAHA!"

"Stay back, hyenas!" Kion threatened, limping away. "I've still got my Roar!"

Janja wasn't perturbed. He jumped off the boulder and walked towards Kion through his hyena subordinates with Mzingo behind him. "And I've got what, 20 hungry hyenas? Your bad breath ain't gonna scare off _no_ _body_!"

Suddenly, a kind, but hard voice boomed through the air, automatically relaxing Kion's muscles. "Then maybe mine will. Touch one _hair_ on my son and I will personally tear every last scrap of meat off of your gangly body, hyena. "

Nala and the lionesses surrounded the canyon from on the top, having sneaked up on the hyena group. As they all leaped down, Janja and the hyenas all fled, ignoring Kion and screaming in terror. Mzingo flew away without a care in the world.

Whilst the other lionesses chased after the hyenas, Nala immediately tended to Kion, licking over his injuries and letting him rest against her.

"Mom," Kion began. "We have to find Fuli... and Jasiri." Tired beyond belief, he couldn't lie to his mother. All he wanted at the moment was comfort and trust. "She's my friend, she's a good hyena. And Mzingo made... Fuli think that she's not, they're going to kill each other!"

Nala swallowed, nodded and called towards a nearby lioness who had stayed behind to guard her and the prince. "Tama, I need you to take my son to Rafiki's tree and get him tended to. There's something I need to do."

* * *

Jasiri breathed heavily as the cheetah came into view. For the past few hours, she'd been making her way back to the Lion Guard's den, hoping that the so-called "Lion Army" wouldn't kill her on the spot. She doubted that Simba would just let that slide. From what Rafiki had told her, he was a great peacemaker and successor to his renowned father, so with any luck, he would give her a chance, even if she opposed his ways.

To the hyena's surprise, Fuli appeared to be alone. _A trap?_ she wondered. The cheetah did not move. In fact, she stared at Jasiri almost fearfully and sat on her rump, waiting for her to talk first. Jasiri didn't understand her, but went ahead with what she'd planned anyway.

"Hey, Fuli..." she said. "Whatever you want to do right now, don't. I'm just here to talk, and I'm fairly sure that Pridelander laws count for negotiating. So you're going to listen to what I've got to say."

When Fuli silently nodded, she continued: "I'm a hyena. You know what else I am? I'm your friend. I believe in the Circle Of Life and I also believe I'm a part of that. I mean, why else am I here?" She shrugged. "And just because I'm a nasty part of nature... doesn't make evil. It just makes me... nasty. Everyone has one nasty friend. The one you always try to hide and make excuses for. But I think... I think there's a reason why those friends exist. Because deep down in that part of your furry head you won't even let yourself in, you know... you're nasty too."

Fuli bit her lip. "Are you really Janja's sister?"

Jasiri's eyes went wide. "How... I mean, yes! But how do you know that?!"

Fuli sighed. "It doesn't matter. Jasiri... I'm sorry. I don't think you're evil. I don't even think you're nasty. You're just a hyena, that's it. That's what scared me. That laugh. Some animals roar, some growl... you laugh. My parents told me what it was like when Scar ruled the Pride Lands. When they were driven out of their homes and hunting grounds with the sound of laughter. The sound of mockery. From the moment I was born, I was taught that your very existence is a mockery of us all. Eating the dead..." she shook her head. "But I know the truth now. You're just a hyena, that's it. And I'd be happy to have someone as clever as my friend. I mean, look at us."

The two of them started giggling together.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Aww, we're getting fluffy! Next chapter: the reunion you've all been waiting for! And the vulture... will... PAY._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - IKR?_

 _*Juimy1 - Janja's more of a bully than anything, really... he's living his life like the rest of the animals, he's just being really mean about it._

 _*I'm A Jesus Freak - Sorry about the delay! I'll try to be quicker next time._

 _*pinksakura271 - Yes, Mzingo is incredibly clever... he's playing everyone. Who knows... considering his age, he might've even had a part to play in Scar's plot._

 _*Juria - I hope this satisfies you! Mzingo is one character that I feel like the show really doesn't take advantage of. He's got loads of potential, but they overuse Janja(although I adore Janja)._

 _*ThatTexasKid - Thank you! What exactly do you think makes it unique, if I may ask?_

 _*cherry12 - I think Simba didn't really become the way he was in LK 2 until something further traumatic happened between the films. Before the Lion Guard, I always thought it was Kopa's death. Now... well, the Guard doesn't seem to be a thing anymore in LK 2..._

 _*v.t.7 - I think Janja can be quite intelligent at times, he just doesn't really use his brain that often. He's a lazy sort of villain, but I love him so much. I used Mzingo in this one because of his more manipulative nature and his ability to multitask(he can fly between the characters fast, allowing him to manipulate them all at the same time). I prefer Janja's character, though._

 _*Anonymous13 B - You're welcome! Your love of Mzingo added a lot of fuel here. I don't think I would've realised the character's potential without you. Thanks!_

 _*Warfang(Chapter 3) - I wasn't referring to the pride when I said "herd". I meant it more generally, like "don't tell the whole crowd". You're right about "people" though, I should've checked the exact definition there. I'll go fix that._

 _*magicmadness(Chapter 1) - That was a reference to a Lion King comic I read recently, lol._


	11. Chapter 11

The other vultures made room for Mzingo to take his position on their tree as he struggled to catch his breath. "I'm afraid... immediate revisions are required to our plan." he finally said, swaying slightly to distract himself from his tiredness. "Janja was followed by the Queen's hunting party, they have Kion now."

The Prime Minister frowned. "I fail to see the relevance. It is the conflict between the cheetah and Janja's sister that will ignite the civil war, is it not?"

"No." Mzingo said, with a frustrated look. "Kion was..." he paused for a moment, before continuing, "... able to guess our plan."

"Absurd!" One of the younger vultures piped up. "Our analysis shows that his intelligence is far lower than ours. Put simply, the plan would be too complex for him to read. You must be in error, Mzingo."

"When have I _ever_ been in error?!" Mzingo shouted back. "I fulfilled the plan. It simply did not hold water. Unless of course we act immediately to avoid this leak."

The Prime Minister raised his eyebrow. "What exactly would you have us do?"

"At this moment, Kion is vulnerable. I saw a lioness take him towards Rafiki's tree. I suggest we dispatch our stealthiest brothers to deal with him and his protectors. I will make sure that..."

Suddenly, a scout landed on a nearby branch. The Prime Minister turned to him and ordered him to report.

"Sir, no conflict occurred between the cheetah and the hyena. Rather the opposite, I'm afraid."

Silence fell over the vultures' tree, with all their eyes eventually turning upon an indignant Mzingo. The Prime Minister took word again: "No conflict. Our plan and intent fully revealed to the lions. The hyenas terrified back to the Outlands. Yes indeed, Mzingo, when _have_ you ever been in error?"

Mzingo shuddered, trying to maintain composure. "The situation... is not... irretrievable." He turned to the scout. "Did you see the Queen?"

"Yes... she was heading towards the cheetah and the hyena."

"Good." He calculated the distance in his head and turned to the other vultures again. "Then all we need to do is kill the three of them."

Whispers passed through the tree, and the Prime Minister's eyes grew sharper. "You must be out of your mind, Mzingo. Us? Against them?"

"Kill them all... and the cub... the plan will not only work... it'll work _better_. Simba will hunt down whomever we desire in revenge... as will the cheetahs... and I'll get Janja too." he smiled.

"No." the Prime Minister said, ignoring Mzingo's disbelieving stare. "You've already put us in far too much danger. You will be cast out of parliament and all your actions will therefore be... _your_ actions. The parliament will be safe from retaliation and you will carry the brunt of the King's blame."

The vultures all approached Mzingo, and before he could do anything to stop them, he was grabbed by a thousand painful claws and literally tossed away, floating downwards into the rocky cracks below.

* * *

"We need to find Kion." Jasiri finally said, realizing something. "We need to tell him about this and you... have to get your Army to stand down."

Fuli shook her head in confusion. "My... my what?"

"Your Army!" Jasiri insisted. "Mzingo told me that..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you met Mzingo?"

The hyena became confused. "You know him?"

"Yeah..." Fuli said. She had, of course, known him for years, as had many others in the Pride Lands, but in this case, she had a particularly bad feeling. "He told me that you attacked him."

Jasiri grabbed her ears. She was such a furbrain! Of course, the malevolent little creature was working against her! The vulture parliament and their plots... and she'd walked straight into it, blinded herself to his darker nature, purely out of a ridiculous hope that she could still connect with her bullying brother on some level.

Her voice wavered from anger. "I did not attack him! He's a liar. You were never planning to kill the hyenas, were you?"

"Pfft! No! Of course not." Fuli scoffed.

Jasiri clenched her jaw. "We need to find Kion _now_."

* * *

Nala zig-zagged through the Pride Lands, with an apparently infinite amount of stamina. She had questioned a number of animals, many of whom had seen the lone hyena(almost exclusively described as Janja's scout) and had stayed far away, expecting the Lion Guard to handle the job, as Fuli had been spotted around as well. They had to be close, but where exactly?

Then she remembered... the Lion Guard's secret den. She had only been there once, as a small cub, years ago, when Scar's Lion Guard had protected her from a hyena attack(although she couldn't remember the attackers), but had been given the directions by Rafiki once Kion's Guard had settled in. It didn't take her long to find the hole leading into the cavernous chamber, where she finally relaxed, having not just found what she was looking for, but also what she had hoped for. The "good hyena" and Fuli, both apparently having just arrived as well.

"Alright, I'll round up the other Guard members, you should probably stay here till... what?" Fuli stopped as Jasiri stared at the entrance, frozen. She turned around, facing the Queen herself.

Nala smiled. "That won't be necessary Fuli, but thank you. And I assume you are Jasiri?"

Jasiri just nodded. She couldn't help her shyness. The Queen had an almost deity-like quality about her, impossibly kind and wise, but fuelled by the same simple zeal towards life that Kion had. She started to briefly wonder whether her concept of the lions had been wrong all along... with this sort of leadership, were they in fact doing their best to uphold the Circle Of Life?

"Then you have many things to explain to me." Nala said. "Something has happened to my son and I must know everything that has been going on."

"Kion's hurt?!" Jasiri yelped, forgetting her place.

Nala smiled, seeing the obvious affection in Jasiri's eyes. A good hyena, indeed. "He was ambushed by Janja's clan, but we managed to get there in the nick of time. However, he did mention something about Mzingo trying to make you two harm each other."

"That was his plan... but we managed to put our differences aside." Fuli reported proudly. "We... don't know what happened to Kion, though."

Nala pressed on: "He was in the Outlands, specifically in the canyons. Do you really have no idea why or how he could've ended up there?"

A short pause filled the den, until Jasiri mumbled: "He was looking for me. I live there."

"We had an argument." Fuli explained. "It was my fault, I let my suspicions get the better of me, I'm sorry." _And my fears._ she thought and turned to Jasiri, who was staring at the floor. "He went to find you as soon as you left."

Nala walked closer to Jasiri and placed her paw on the hyena's shoulder. "I'll take you to Kion. He's being mended to by Rafiki." She looked at the cheetah. "Fuli, I want you to go to Pride Rock and find Simba, tell him what you told me and bring him to the tree as well."

Fuli nodded and sprinted off, leaving Jasiri and Nala in the cave. Nala noticed that the former was still staring at the floor and asked: "What is it?"

Sighing, Jasiri brought out her most obvious and yet most pressing fear: "I'm a hyena..."

"And I'm married to Scar's nephew. Now listen closely, young one, because I want you to remember this for the rest of your life: bad blood is not something that actually exists. Clear?"

Jasiri looked up to the Queen, her cocky faux confidence finally replaced by genuine courage. "Clear. Can we go now?"

Nala laughed. Still a cub after all.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Okay, NEXT chapter will be the reunion, I swear. Nothing can keep these two separate any longer. It's insane to think that I marketed this as Kion/Jasiri oneshots and they've only appeared together in like four of the eleven chapters I've written so far. But I suppose absence makes the heart grow fonder. So yes, next chapter is the big reunion. Don't bring any pillows to cry on, because there will be too much fluff already!_

 _*Guest - "OMG YOU ARE LIKE, SO AMAZING. YOU GOT THEIR PERSONALITIES SOOOO PERFECT :D! Seriously best fanfic I've ever read, neeeeed moooore." (Too subjective?)_

 _*SennaFan4Ever - What mess up, lol? Your reviews are great! I'm happy that you're enjoying the fic and yes, I feel like Nala has been woefully underused since the first movie. She had to be represented on an equal level to Simba. Rafiki being a healer is something that I just realised was never in the movies, XD. It's an old LK fanfic cliche(also, he treated Ono in "Eye Of The Beholder")._

 _*I'm a Jesus Freak - Didn't need to wait too long for this one! I can understand your hatred towards Mzingo... although I feel quite the opposite, I rather enjoyed writing for him hahaha!_

 _*Juria - Mzingo would have succeeded... if he hadn't committed the fatal flaw of all the villains. As for Nala, she's basically a non-entity in the show, so it wasn't that hard lol._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - Yeah, Kion's really been put through the wringer... fortunately, he has a crafty hyena to help him recover..._

 _*DragoonSensei - IKR!_

 _*Anonymous13 B - I simply had to have Nala involved. Not just because the show hasn't, but because she needs to be connected to the developing relationships as well. Having her save Kion's life seemed like the obvious way to both get him out of trouble and give Nala her shining moment, in charge of the hunters(remember how we were introduced to adult Nala in the original film?). It's great to see some friendship between Fuli and Jasiri, although that might make their differences all the more glaring, who knows?_


	12. Chapter 12

Humming to himself, Rafiki added the final touches to his latest painting, featuring a fierce battle between lions and hyenas, with one of each species sitting together in the middle of it. His work was watched by Tama, who dutifully remained to protect Kion until dismissed by either Simba or Nala.

Kion himself was in a deep sleep in the middle of the tree, his mind far from the troubles that had unfairly clouded it for so long... hyenas, jackals, vultures, crocodiles, conniving drongos... one lion cub had to sort it all out. Kion had been drilled from birth to be the best that he could be, and so instead of protecting the Pride Lands, he had almost begun to manage it himself. As the Lion Guard abandoned the borders to chase after mice and zebras, these villains had trickled in like raindrops, taking advantage of the community still recovering from Scar's rule.

But in his dreams, Kion was big, like his father and the villains were long gone. He stood atop of Pride Rock and nuzzled his older sister as she stepped onto the tip for the first time. She was nervous, but then, who wouldn't be? He told her the truth... that she'd be so brilliant he'd have to find a new job. Kiara laughed and asked who would save the mice when he was gone.

And after she had ascended, he went home, to the den that now belonged to him and his mate smiled... he blinked. He couldn't really see her that well. It was all a grey blur. He blinked again.

* * *

Suddenly, he realised that the grey blur in front of his eyes was fur. Then he saw an ear, black hair and a hilariously fierce face below. He was awake and somehow, with Jasiri. The precious hyena snuggled next to him, her expression daring anyone to disturb them. Or maybe she was just dreaming about food.

It took some effort for Kion to get up, as all his limbs were aching, but he managed it nonetheless and explored a bit in Rafiki's tree. The monkey himself was lying comfortably in a nearby makeshift hammock made of tree branches and vines, mumbling slightly in his sleep.

"Good morning, sire." An elegant, haughty voice said.

Kion's fur bristled hearing the voice and he snarled as he saw the hated vulture... however, his demeanor quickly changed when he realised Mzingo was tied up in a small, rusty cage hanging from the tree. The vulture did not look healthy at all, even compared to the last time Kion saw him. He was covered in red scratches, many of his feathers were torn out and his eyes were watery and tired.

"What happened to you?" Kion asked him, simply curious.

"I was in _error_." Mzingo sarcastically replied. "The plan would've worked... they just didn't help me. It's their own blasted fault, of course."

Kion shook his head. "I don't understand."

"The scouts would've noticed the Queen approaching." Mzingo rattled on, oblivious to Kion's presence. "We're great in numbers, we could have taken care of the cub. And if we had scared the elephants... they would've trampled the lionesses. Oh, I can _taste_ their flesh!"

Who knows how long the insane bird would've carried on, had an irritated, sleepy Rafiki not thrown a baobab fruit at the cage to shut him up. Grinning, Kion returned to Jasiri and settled down next to her. He didn't know how she was here nor did he have to.

* * *

Jasiri groaned when she woke up. She felt slightly dizzy from how much she had slept. It was quite a difference from her usual lonely naps. She struggled not to burst out laughing, however, when she noticed that the mighty lion prince had come to hug her paw in his sleep.

By the time that she and the Queen had arrived, the sky had turned pink and the warmth of the day was disappearing. They had found Kion in Rafiki's tree, a ragged, lonely mess(at least it seemed that way to her). She had whimpered slightly and tried to rouse him by nuzzling his face(to the bewilderment of the Queen's friend, Tama), before begging her for permission to stay and keep an eye on him, which she'd gotten without much fuss.

Rafiki had made it clear that Kion was to be left in as much peace as possible for the night to recover from the incident and she herself needed the sleep so she rested next to him for both warmth and to make sure nothing would harm him whilst Nala and Tama departed to Pride Rock, promising to return tomorrow to bring Kion back.

The next thing Jasiri knew, it was pitch black and she was surrounded by a lot of whacking and swearing noises, which turned out to be Rafiki practicing his ancient fighting skills on a crazed Mzingo, who had somehow sneaked into the tree to hurt them. Soon enough, the vulture was lying on the floor, dazed, whilst the old baboon dragged an old metal birdcage out of somewhere and stuffed Mzingo in it before going back to sleep, with Jasiri following afterwards.

But enough of memories. Kion was _here_ , they were together at last after all that senseless drama. Gently, she removed her paw from his grasp and poked Kion with her nose.

* * *

Feeling something cold press onto his face, Kion was shocked into awareness and found himself staring at Jasiri's equally staring eyes only a few centimeters away. Before he was able to react, the hyena pulled back and sat up with a satisfied grin. "So... I heard _someone_ got in trouble for chasing after this hyena." she said in a sultry tone.

Kion didn't feel so frivolous. "I just wanted you to be happy with us." he said, looking Jasiri straight in the eye. "I don't know why Fuli went off like that, but it's _not_ how we feel about you."

Jasiri interrupted him before he could go further. "You don't need to worry about Fuli. We settled our differences."

"You... did?" the lion prince asked, amazed. "What else did I miss?"

"Just Mzingo trying to bring about the end of the Pride Lands. But I'm getting off topic. Kion, I want to..." Now it was Kion's turn to interrupt, righteous anger overtaking his features, making him resemble his grandfather. "One moment." he said. "Did you say Mzingo? Did he hurt anyone?"

"Yeah. He hurt _you_."

Kion blinked, only now realising the physical struggle he himself had gone through because of the vulture's efforts. "Where's Rafiki?" he asked, clenching his jaw.

"He's up in the tree branches... what are you doing?!" Jasiri said as Kion climbed up to the upper branches and found the baboon still in a deep slumber. Not bothering to wake him, Kion bit into the rope tying a rusty key to Rafiki's baobab stick and rather clumsily, brought it down the centre to use it on the cage.

"Kion!" Jasiri protested, as the delusional vulture clambered out, before tripping and falling out of the tree, followed by Kion and then Jasiri.

Mzingo got up, ruffled his remaining feathers and glared at the Lion Guard leader. "What are you doing now, Kion?"

"I'm judging." Kion replied, grinning. "Mzingo the vulture..." he announced. "For your attempts to unbalance Kupatana in the kingdom, and direct assault against me... you're exiled to the Outlands. Permanently."

 _Is that it?_ Jasiri wondered and considered asking Kion to up the ante before Mzingo began speaking. "Thank you ever-so-much for your grace, young master. I'll just go now and... learn from my mistakes... yes?"

Kion nodded, his upbeat smile slightly unnerving the vulture who turned around and began to walk away, too weak to fly. As soon as his back was turned, Kion gathered up his dark feelings towards the despicable Mzingo, the bird who had nearly cost him everything and gave the loudest roar he had ever let out, powerful enough to cause a wind of such strength that it made Mzingo take flight. Without any control, he floated higher and higher in the sky and did not stop until he was over the rocks of the Outlands, coming down right in the midst of the grumbling hyenas.

* * *

Cackling, Janja ran to him and called out to his followers. "Hey boys! Stop fooling around and come check this out! Looks like the "Great Kings" sent us a rag to finally clean this place up! Who's calling dibs on the litter?"

Cheezi started clapping. "Me! Me! I call dibs! Every job's gotta have a lunchtime!"

Mzingo rolled his eyes. "Call your mutts off, Janja."

"Ooh!" Janja shouted. "I don't think so! You know, vultures _really_ are the best messengers a guy could have. I mean, just a few hours ago, I got this bird coming in, and he says: Mzingo's gone bananas! No wonder you led us into an ambush!"

"That wasn't my fault! You weren't paying attention!" Mzingo screamed in fury.

"And you know what the funny part is? Kion told us you were gonna try and mess things up! Maybe I should'a listened to him. After all, heroes don't lie. Which means he was also right about you trying to off my sis... "

The other hyenas started howling in pleasure. Janja's rules on his sister were clear as crystal. The last hyena who'd tried to attack her had made for a filling meal.

* * *

Kion breathed heavily and was slightly shaking, the roar having taken a lot out of his grinded body, but he felt satisfied. He hugged Jasiri, both to support himself and to confirm that the incident had come to a final close.

Together, they sat down and simply held each other for a while, neither wanting to break the moment, but after what felt like far too soon, Kion pulled away. "What were you saying earlier?"

Jasiri placed both of her paws on the ground. "I wanted to ask if I could join the Lion Guard."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Can You Feel The Love Tonight? ... No, seriously, can you? Did I hit the jackpot for you? That's the question of the day. Anyway, next chapter, Simba meets Jasiri for the first time. And again, sorry for the massive delay, but I've been dreadfully busy this week, plus this was a big chapter, so..._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Yay indeed._

 _*Juria - Lol, that's a great visual. Background comedy for the win._

 _*pinksakura271(Chapter 10) - That movie sounds just like Once Upon A Time to me. I hadn't even heard of it before._

 _*pinksakura271(Chapter 11) - Yes, the Simba and Jasiri chapter will be an interesting one to write..._

 _*Carmen738 - Thank you for the compliment!_

 _*I'm a Jesus Freak - Well, it wasn't out quickly, but of course I had much more suffering planned for Mzingo... thanks for the badge of honor!_

 _*DragoonSensei - Aww, thank you... that fills me with a lot of optimism for future fics._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - I hope it lived up to your expectations..._

 _*Anonymous13 B - Oh, of course he survives... Mzingo's tougher than beef jerky. And yes, I wanted to emphasize the adventurous quality in Nala, as it's something they shared with Simba, which we haven't really had a chance to see since she became Queen. I get that she's older, but I still think she and Simba take their life as just another one of their trips, with everyday challenges for crocodiles!_

 _*v.t.7(Chapter 10) - Indeed, I hope the "old vein" of authors doesn't disappear entirely. Let's keep Kopa alive!_

 _*v.t.7(Chapter 11) - I'm actually going to have to slightly disagree with you here... I don't think the vultures have a respect for life. After all, Mzingo was reporting about this plan to THEM. It was still their idea, they just disagreed with how he handled the mission and cut him off so that they could blame him as a rogue when Simba found out. They're a big bunch of wily politicians, in the end. Mzingo simply got out-manipulated._


	13. Chapter 13

Kion smiled and touched Jasiri's shoulder, leaving the image of a paw print behind. "You're the wisest in all the Pride Lands, Jasiri." he said. "Welcome to the Lion Guard."

The two hugged again. "Thank you." Jasiri whispered into his ear. She had never really been complimented before. It felt... different, more pure than the usual cynicism and exasperation that surrounded her. She couldn't really come up with anything more appropriate to reply with.

"Now tell me, if that isn't the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, Simba." Nala said, shocking the two away from each other.

"Mom! Dad!" Kion called out and trotted over to his parents and Fuli, who was awkwardly standing in the background. She noticed Jasiri's mark and returned her grin with the best smile she could muster up.

Simba, Nala and Kion joined in a family hug, before Kion moved away. "I'm sorry I ran off like that, dad. Mzingo manipulated with all of us."

"... yes, Kion." Simba replied, seemingly distracted by something. "I know you've been through a lot, but I need you to wait while I discuss something with your mother."

Perplexed, Kion, Jasiri and Fuli all shared glances, before nodding and going to Rafiki's tree, leaving the two adult lions alone. As soon as they were out of sight, Simba turned away and walked quietly out of earshot, with Nala following him with a growing sense of anxiety.

Suddenly, the lion king turned around, giving her a piercing glare. "Why didn't you tell me she was a _hyena_?!" he growled. "How can you believe anything she told you?"

Nala stared right back at him, daring Simba to blink first. "I wanted you to see them there together. And I've heard what she has to say. There is no deception here, Simba. You know there isn't."

"We _are_ talking about the same family of creatures who sent those wildebeest who killed my father? The same ones who became so hungry they ate members of our own pride too weakened from constant hunting _for them_? Do you have any idea what kind of effect this will have on the pride?! The lionesses still remember the bones of their elders being gnawed upon!"

"But these hyenas do not. That is the difference, Simba. They attack us because of what they think we did to them. Who would blame their parents, whom, last they checked, were roasted alive at Pride Rock? Sometimes, what is left behind can grow back better than the generation before... but they must have a chance to do so."

To emphasise her point, Nala wiped away some of the dust that had covered a beautiful white flower nearby. The dust was quite recent too... any one of the cubs at Rafiki's tree could've done it by accident.

Simba groaned and slumped to the ground. "One day you're going to be wrong about something... and when you do, I am going to pin. You. Down. Is that understood?"

Nala smiled. "Of course, your majesty.

* * *

Kion, Jasiri and Fuli all piled into Rafiki's tree. The baboon himself had left inconspicuously to run his daily errands, leaving the three of them alone.

Looking out of the branches, Fuli was able to catch a glimpse of the queen moving away before turning around. Unexpectedly, she saw both Kion and Jasiri flashing smiles back at her.

"W-what?" she mumbled, completely confused. "What is it? What are you two smiling about?"

Kion walked to her. "It's okay, Fuli. We forgive you. Mzingo brought out the worst in all of us and I don't want you to beat yourself up over it. You're not on the Lion Guard just because you're the fastest, but also because we trust you and I know that even when we were arguing, you only meant to protect the Pride Lands." He looked at Jasiri. "Even when it didn't need protecting."

"I should apologise too." Jasiri added. "I never meant to imply that the Pridelanders were greedy. You know, sometimes, when I lose perspective, I feel like going back to the kind of person I was drilled to be by my parents. Stupid, cruel... and... and... well, other unglamorous adjectives. The so-called "classic hyena". Because there's nothing safer than forgetting yourself and letting instincts take over. But we have this stuff..." she banged her paw against her head multiple times and shook it afterwards to clear the dizziness. "... for a reason. Right?"

Fuli finally chuckled. "Yeah. Didn't think you'd be so great at sage advice, though."

"From now on, she's the wisest." Kion proudly smiled.

"I thought that was Bunga." Fuli joked.

Jasiri scoffed. "That little critter probably wandered into the desert while you weren't watching him."

Kion didn't find it so funny: "The Guard! I just left them on their own! How am I going to make this up to them?" he whined and fell down, crushed by his impending reunion with the other members.

Jasiri rolled her eyes. "How about telling them of everything you've learned, opening their minds, that sort of thing?"

As Kion's muzzle was pressed against the floor of the tree, his voice came out muffled: "You're never gonna stop being so right about everything, are you?"

* * *

"Cubs! You can come down now!" Kion's father called and the trio quickly jumped out of Rafiki's tree, to where the king and queen awaited them.

Simba addressed the young hyena first: "I see Kion has already branded you as a member of the Lion Guard, so giving you the right to live in the Pride Lands would be a little superfluous. However, what I will do is welcome you." He extended his paw towards Jasiri, which she awkwardly shook with her tiny one. "Everyone living in the Pride Lands are expected to be able to put their life in each other's paw, should there be a need for it. I would trust you with mine, right now. Don't break my trust."

"I won't." Jasiri replied, still slightly terrified of the king, but more confident now.

"You also have a responsibility now, as a member of the Guard, to dedicate yourself to the protection and respect of every living thing in these parts."

"But sir, who do I eat?" she asked, slightly quivering.

Simba winked. "That's a trade secret."

* * *

"So, she's really staying? Like, really, really staying? As in, really really really?"

"Yes, Bunga... as in really really really REALLY." Kion said, for what felt like the thousandth time... in the past hour.

Kion, Jasiri and Fuli had returned to the Lion Guard's lair and spread the news around... not only were Kion and Fuli back safe and sound, but they had a new member to introduce. Most of them took it surprisingly well, but convincing Bunga that the mean-looking grey lady was a team member was probably going to take days.

"But there can only be five members, right? That's how the Lion Guard's been like for forever!" he complained.

"And the Great Kings just decided to give me the power to break the laws of magic just because." Kion sarcastically replied. "No, Bunga, there can be more members. And I told you, she's the wisest."

"But if you're so pedantic, I could always have a snack and drag the number down." Jasiri butted in and playfully snapped her teeth, causing the badger to shriek and hide. Again.

"And it's not the Lion Guard anymore either." Kion announced. "From now on, we're calling ourselves the Kupatana Guard."

"That's... erm, catchy." Ono said.

Beshte took the news more positively. "Well, I like it! That means we're looking out for everyone!"

"And strive for peace everywhere." Jasiri said.

The lion prince continued: "Now of course, that means we're going to need a new catchphrase for the team too. But I'm sure we'll figure something out. We always do."

* * *

Later that night, after the Guard dispersed, Kion approached Fuli, who had already begun to think her own thoughts.

"Hey, Fuli!" he called out. "Wait up!"

Fuli turned around, surprised. "Kion? What is it? Pride Rock isn't this way."

"I know. I wanted to talk to you."

Fuli lowered her head. "Oh. I guess I shouldn't have expected to be let off the hook." Though it was true that Mzingo had lied to her and tried to exacerbate the situation, she still felt guilty over her breakdown at the lair. _That_ had been all her. And it made her feel all the more guilty that she still couldn't admit it to Kion, who clearly believed the whole thing had been engineered by the vulture. But the truth of the matter was that she had feelings for him, feelings that were far more important than the friendship she felt towards the rest of the Guard members. She would never have admitted them to herself, even, if it hadn't been for that moment of insanity that nearly destroyed their friendship and gave Mzingo the oppurtunity to nearly destroy the Pride Lands.

That was something she knew she'd have to carry in her for a long time. Seeing Kion grow so close to Jasiri had violated her own love towards the prince. Rather stupidly, she hadn't thought he could be closer to someone than her. She didn't worry about Kion taking her as a mate, as having a non-lioness on the throne was quite unthinkable, but just knowing there was a deeper connection somehow didn't give her peace.

Wait, had Kion been talking all this time?

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Now, what unfinished business do Kion and Fuli have? Hmm? That's what we'll be exploring in the next chapter as Kion takes a very important step towards adulthood..._

 _*Kion the Lion - Yes and yes._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - Crikey, how times change... it starts with a nice hyena and next thing you know, your daughter's married to Scar's heir. *facepalm*_

 _*I'm a Jesus Freak - The slowness is, as it invariably is, due to life rearing its ugly head. But I love writing this fanfic far too much to stay away for long. :D_

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - I hope I fulfilled your expectations..._

 _*God of the Challenge - Preach!_

 _*DragoonSensei - I knew he had to be a little... well, racist, considering his reaction to Kion's choices in Return Of The Roar, but I also knew Nala would inevitably fix that problem._

 _*Carmen738 - You and me both. Thanks for another great review!_

 _*pinksakura271 - Ohhh, how I love Lion King 2. I know that's not perhaps the most popular opinion, but it's my favourite film. Like, ever. "Love Will Find A Way"... oh, that pulled at my heartstrings like you wouldn't believe. I don't think I'd be the person I am today without that song. Nala didn't give Simba a heads-up, as she wanted him to properly see with his own eyes that Jasiri wasn't a threat. I think if she had told him, he might not have given her the chance she deserved. He's a little stubborn that way. Oh yes, Mzingo definitely deserved all that he got. Banana beak._

 _*Anonymous13 B - The inclusion of Tama was a deliberate reference to my "Vacation" fanfic, as she had a little appereance there as well. Of course, I also thought that Nala wouldn't trust Kion's safety with anyone, but the most reliable of friends. I may have further appereances of Tama down the line. Also, I really, really love writing for Janja. I usually need to think everyone's dialogue through, but Janja's just like *snap* that's what he would say._

 _*Juria - You'll be happy to know that I'm not ending the fanfic, then. At least not in the near future. They haven't even had their first kiss yet, lol!_


	14. Chapter 14

"Are you okay? You seem a little off." Kion said, concerned. He followed the cheetah outside of the newly christened Kupatana Guard's lair, through fields of wet grass. The stars had begun to shine above their heads.

Fuli quickly shook it off. "It's nothing, just... long day, huh?"

Kion chuckled knowingly. " Yeah. But I've got something to ask you. Uh... do you remember what we were going to do right before this all started? That night at the lair?"

The cheetah's levity seemed to return as she gave Kion an appreciative smile. "You wanted me to teach you how to hunt. Are you saying you're still up for it?"

"In a few days, when I've recovered and more importantly, when my mom and dad have recovered. I don't want to just wander off straight after an adventure like that. But are you up to teach me?" Kion asked teasingly.

"You betcha!" Fuli proudly announced. "Alright then! See ya!" The two clapped paws together. Kion turned around and hurried off to Pride Rock. Fuli had to admit to herself... she had never seen a more adorable sight than the lion cub bouncing away into the darkness.

Kion sprinted through the chilly night, trying to release the build-up of nervous energy. _A hunt... my first kill._ He was almost disappointed when he found himself at the bottom edge of Pride Rock, but he was too tired to spend any more time outside.

In the Pridelanders' cave, Kion found most of his pride already fast asleep, save for the King and Queen who had been quietly talking on their platform, with Nala comfortably resting under Simba's larger bulk. Despite this, she was able to detect her son's presence immediately. "Kion! We were starting to wonder if one of us should come after you!" she poked at him.

"The Guard had a lot to catch up on." Shamelessly, Kion jumped onto his parents' backs, squeezing himself between them into a warm, sharing nest. After a night in the Outlands, he was well within his rights to take advantage of his childhood privileges one last time.

Nala's head briefly emerged from Simba's embrace and she gave Kion a quick lick on the cheek. "Just promise me that the next time you completely renounce our ways, you'll let us know first, okay?" Kion rolled his eyes. "Sure, mom, I will."

"Yes, maybe then we'll have a chance to put up some arguments against the brush of a girl's tail under your chin."

Kion suddenly lost interest in sleeping. "MOM! It wasn't like that!" he protested fiercely.

"Caaaaan you feeeel the loooove toniiiight?" Nala sang, with a wicked smile.

Fortunately, Simba came to Kion's rescue. "The PEACE the evening brings, Nala." He yawned. "As King, I now order both of you troublemakers to sleep." Kion decisively moved onto his father's mane, flashing his small, sharp teeth at his amused mother.

* * *

After a few weeks had passed, the whole incident finally became a distant memory. Jasiri fit into the Kupatana Guard like a glove, unofficially assuming deputy duty and keeping the often befuddled team in check. Not seeing the point in sleeping anywhere else, she continued living in the Guard's lair, often spending time with Rafiki, who would periodically come to paint the walls and check up on the Guard members. Though there were protesters to her presence in the Pride Lands, not to mention in such an important position, the Guard had made too many allies and any naysayers were quickly hushed. Nala especially saw the whole event as a purely positive thing, claiming that it was a test of the Pridelanders' moral resolve and they had passed with flying colours.

This entire time, neither Kion nor Fuli mentioned their planned hunt to even one another, both equally determined to keep the secret between themselves... until one perfect inconspicuous evening, when Kion announced that the Guard would take a day off. It was not unheard of... the animals needed relaxation and the lionesses were fully capable of defending the pride.  
But it was the first time since the incident, and Fuli knew Kion was lying. Unfortunately, so did Jasiri.

"I hope you're planning something extra-special, Kion!" she squealed when Kion delivered the announcement. "You're so giddy I might've mistaken you for a hyena faced with a dead hippo. No offense, Beshte, but I would."

Beshte shook his head. "I've learned to live with it."

Jasiri started jumping up and down. "So what are we doing? Are we going to go on a trip? Into the jungle? To visit another Pride?"

"Uh... actually... I, uh... I'm angry! Yeah, I'm really angry, because my parents are making me spend a day with Timon and Pumbaa!" He nodded. "I mean, I've been so pre-occupied with Guard work that I haven't had a chance to play with them for a while and... uh... that's why I'm giddy. Because I really don't feel like it."

Beshte gave his usual sage advice: "Well, I'm sure it's going to be worth it, Kion. After all, they ARE your family. And family sticks close."

"Yeah, you're probably right. That's it, everyone. Enjoy the day off! Cause, heh, I sure won't!"

With the usual murmurs, the Kupatana Guard dispersed. Kion hopped down from the platform and walked out of the lair entrance with Fuli. "Hey Fuli, could I talk with you about next week's training program?" he lied and nudged her.

Fuli shrugged. "Uh, sure, Kion! Yeah!" The two of them trotted off into the lazy light of the passing sun.

Squinting her eyes, Jasiri's gaze followed the lion prince and the sly cheetah as they departed.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : _Funny how history is repeating itself, isn't it? Here we are again, where things went so wrong the last time... what will our heroes get themselves into this time?_

* _I'm a Jesus Freak - Fixed the typo! And ugh, tell me about it. I am so sick and tired of not being able to devote my attention to things that deserve it... like this fanfic. I'd probably have made this chapter twice the size it is now and included Kion's first hunt(which WILL be next chapter), but I just can't focus on it now and make it as good as it can be. But hey, never let it be said that I abandoned my fans._

 _*v.t.7(Chapter 12) - Mzingo had already suffered quite badly. By the time Kion roared him away to the Outlands(without even knowing whether he'd survive, mind you), he was pretty much a boney, featherless lump. I don't think it's really in Kion's nature to kill a defenseless enemy either, unless it's for food. I'm very glad you approve of my wording, because I'm always terrified of not being prosaic enough._

 _*v.t.7(Chapter 13) - Jasiri The Wisest, Copyright DarthRushy 2016. Thanks for the notice, I did fix the typo :D. I don't think the wildebeest thing was much of a secret. Can you imagine Scar taking the time to chase a herd of wildebeest into the canyon? Besides, he needed to be upwards to kill Mufasa at the oppurtune moment. So Simba probably put two and two together. As for the name change, it's a slight tribute to my favourite episode in the series so far. And again, thanks, you are too kind._

 _*DragoonSensei - They're not right about males taking out the trash... I will NEVER surrender on that front._

 _*Juria - Indeed... things are going to get heated very very soon._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - The trade secret thing is a reference to the show's confusing premise. I mean, the Lion Guard is composed of both predators and prey and they constantly save and befriend animals they should eat... remember Simba asking if he could have a hippo to eat in the first film? As for the love triangle between Kion, Fuli and Jasiri, it's something that I've tried very hard to make non-traditional... it's not about the jealous one, the rightful one and the stud. Both Fuli and Jasiri are worthy mates for Kion, I think and I ship them both. I haven't really thought much of Kiara yet, to be honest, however I can spoil that Tiifu will cameo next chapter._

 _*fanofbleach - It'll come, it'll come... also, can you be more specific? I looked over Chapters 10 and 11 and didn't find the error. Thanks._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - And here we are again... thoughts?_

 _*Guest - Thank you!_

 _*Anonymous13 B - I have a habit of inserting these little references to the original films... the thought of having Nala teach this to Simba just felt right to me. The very important step to adulthood is, of course, Kion's first kill. The changing of the Guard's name seemed only logical to me, since it's really more about protecting the Pride Lands and the peace within than it is about the lions. Kion and Jasiri, making history together :)_

 _*pinksakura271 - Please don't tell me you're my number one fan... because I'm getting some serious Misery vibes here LOL._

 _*The Howling Behemoth - No need to apologise, just keep going and review! The story is most emphatically NOT coming to a close, although we are moving onto a different part of it._


	15. Chapter 15

Being both feline in nature, the darkness surrounding them did not bother Kion and Fuli. They instinctively embraced it, their senses sharpening. For a while, they simply ran through the dark, enjoying the dew beneath their paws and the thrill of the night. Kion looked up and stared at the white moon, the legendary mirror in the sky. According to the older lionesses, the sun was a gift from the Kings Above, providing warmth and health to the strongest of the pride whilst taking the lives of those who strayed from the path of Kupatana. The moon, however, was a gift or rather, taunt from the Kings Below(those who died unfulfilled or disloyal), reflecting the sins of all on its purest surface and providing light for the cowardly prey that they associated themselves with.  
The fact that they constantly shifted was a source of peace for the lions, showing that the good hunt goes on even beyond the Pride Lands. They didn't want to die and live happily ever after. That wouldn't be fun at all.

After an hour, the two finally stopped, having ran far away from Pride Rock to the northern region of the Pride Lands. These were largely open, grassy fields that the herds lived in. As Kion went down, stomach to the ground as per the cheetah's instructions, he wondered... if this is where her mother and the lionesses hunted, how were the zebras and gazelles and other animals still living around these parts? Or was it just the place Fuli sought her prey from?

Fuli got down next to him and nodded her head towards a young, sullen-looking zebra who was wandering around on the other side of the meadow, having gone away for a midnight drink at a small waterhole. "That's an easy one. Probably thinks he's safe so close to his herd. All we have to do is circle around him, approach and snap! I'll take the throat, show you how it's done. You grab his legs."

Gulping nervously, Kion agreed and the two softly slinked across the field, staying beneath the growth as much as possible. The zebra was as brave or foolhardy as they came, not even bothering to properly look around even when Kion briefly tripped, as the cub was not used to moving about and constantly hiding at the same time. Soon enough though, the two were between the zebra and the herd.

Keeping their eyes trained on the prey, Kion and Fuli moved closer in unison, trying to sneak as close as possible before the zebra reacted. However, as the zebra turned its head around, Kion's eyes suddenly froze and he gripped Fuli's shoulder with a paw. This rustled the leaves, frightening the animal enough to run away, screaming "Panic and run! Panic and run!"

Suddenly, it was as if an earthquake had started. Kion and Fuli looked around in shock, only to see a wall of black and white approach rapidly.

"Into the waterhole!" Kion shouted and the two ducked into the pool right as the herd stampeded across and away.

Kion's head emerged from the water slowly and he patiently spat out a stream. Nearby, Fuli flew out of the water as if being kicked or burnt and immediately began shaking herself to get rid of the irritating moisture.

She then glared towards Kion's head, which was still bobbing aimlessly in the water. "What was that?! We had him!"

Kion stared right back at her. "It was Brody."

"... what?"

"It was Brody. He's a friend of mine. We used to hang out together when we were really young."

Fuli shook her head. "So?"

"So? I can't... I can't _kill_ him! He's my friend!"

"Of course you can! You're a predator! Or what did you think, that your hunters pick out those they don't know and let the nice herds hang around?!" Fuli scolded, only to be put off by Kion's crestfallen look. Whether in denial or not, that's exactly what the lion prince had in mind. Going for a more gentle approach, Fuli continued: "Look, Kion... we all need to eat. It's just a matter of where and when and why it's okay to hunt. That's what the Circle Of Life is about... not keeping everyone alive, but respecting predator AND prey."

"So the herds don't leave..." Kion mumbled.

"... because there are rules. If they left the Pride Lands, they'd probably be a lot worser off, under constant threat. That's kind of why your dad was against us as the Lion Guard. You picked prey to do the predators' job. But it's still the law of the jungle. Someone has to be the strongest... and we are the strongest. That's what I think." Fuli explained. She hated doing this to Kion, but she'd never been a good liar. Best to tell the truth and observe the consequences. After all, nobody could accuse her of being dishonest.

Kion crawled out of the water and shook it off, careful not to get any of it on Fuli. He didn't enjoy swimming anymore.

"I don't know what to think anymore." he told Fuli. "But I want to try again."

Fuli nodded. "The herd can't have gone far. We can track them down, give it another shot."

"Let me take the throat." He breathed heavily, and felt his stomach clench in hunger.

* * *

As the experienced cheetah had predicted, the herd hadn't gone very far, just over a few hills. Within minutes, Kion and Fuli had sniffed them down and found them relaxing near Hakuna Matata Falls. Most of them had already fallen back to sleep, whilst a remaining few were snacking on grass. This complicated the mission a little, but neither one minded. It was like a game, Kion thought. Like a game he'd played with Brody.

 _"Kion?" The shaky zebra called out, looking over some vines. Whilst he was a little braver than the rest of his herd, Brody still hated surprises. Unfortunately, the lion prince loved them. Ono had told him that Kion and the others were playing bowling in the Little Jungle. Eager to pitch in, Brody quickly raced to Pride Rock and from there, down the slopes to the small forest that was recognised as the cubs' playing area._

 _However, right now, Brody couldn't find anyone and he was getting increasingly irritated. The sharp leaves were pricking everywhere and the humidity didn't help. "Bunga?!" he shouted louder. "Where are you guys?!"_

 _It didn't take him long to decide that aimlessly wandering around the mess of branches, bushes and badgers wasn't worth it... wait, badgers?_

 _Suddenly, the entire world seem to turn around as Brody's legs flew towards the sky. Laughter filled the jungle._

 _"Zuka zama!" Bunga shouted in glee as the zebra flailed around. "Don't worry, ZB." Kion added, carelessly resting on a branch on the same tree the vines holding Brody were tied, along with Ukweli. "We'll let you panic and run away... eventually."_

 _Ukweli was the fourth member of the gang, a wild lioness cub found surviving on her own near the desert and adopted by Pride members. Her pelt was a deep, mesmerising yellow, comparable to the royal family itself. Her ears both had huge bite marks in them, giving her head an almost bat-like appereance. Her eyes were grey and shady. Due to the hardships she'd endured, Ukweli had quickly developed an oppurtunistic personality in the lenient Pride, but retained her dignity and charm by freely admitting it at the same time._

 _Brody played along: "You can only dream of it! I can panic and run right up here! Look!" To demonstrate his point, he flailed around some more, shouting "Panic and run! Panic and run!"_

 _Ukweli shrugged: "Well, he's got us there."_

 _"Uh-uh." Kion said and hopped down below Brody. "Bunga, get me a palm leaf."_

 _"One palm leaf coming up!" Bunga announced and scurried off._

 _Kion grinned. "If we can't talk you out of it, we'll tickle you out of it."_

 _"Oh, will you now?" Brody smiled right back at him. He wasn't stupid and noticed that the vine he was tied to was a very poor choice... probably on Bunga's part. At least that's what he'll say if Kion asks him later. "INCOMING!" he shouted. With one strong kick from his other hoof, Brody broke it and fell straight towards Kion, who shrieked and escaped at the last second._

 _Ukweli only laughed so hard that she shamelessly fell off the tree herself._

 _"Uh... I got the palm leaf." Bunga said, confused._

 _"Gimme!" Kion shouted and snapped it away from Bunga with his teeth. Revenge was on his mind. But before he could even get close to Brody, Ukweli rammed into him, tearing the palm leaf away as Brody held him in place with his hooves._

 _"Hey! Guys, get off of me!" Kion shouted, but nobody listened._

 _"Oh look, what have we here?" Ukweli asked. Brody grinned at her. "Beats me, Ukweli. Bunga?" The honey badger deadpanned: "Never met him."_

 _"Guys, that's not fair!"_

 _Ukweli nuzzled him playfully, though a grumpy Kion tried to swat her away with one free paw. "That's why it's funny. ZB, I imagine you want to do the honors?"_

 _"With pleasure."_

 _Ukweli handed Brody the palm leaf, but the lion prince proved to be equally as devious as his enemy. After using his hind legs to push Ukweli off of her, Kion flew up the tree again in a flash and jumped straight onto the zebra's back. He hadn't anticipated Bunga appearing on his own back to give him a good noogie, however. Nor did Bunga expect to be crushed by Ukweli's weight on top of him. In the end, poor Brody collapsed under all of them._

 _"So... I guess we all won?" Ukweli asked._

* * *

Kion finally saw him... whilst there were other zebras now moving about, he had decided to retain Brody as his target. This was his test, his time to prove that he was more than just talk.

For a brief moment, Kion thought of just calling out to Brody... the latter suspected nothing. Within seconds, he'd be close enough for the kill. But it was too easy, and not what he was trying to accomplish. He was hunting, Kion repeated to himself.

As before, he and Fuli circled Brody, separating him from the rest of the herd. This time they moved like feathers in a soft wind, careful not to upset any of the zebras around them.

Fuli blinked, giving him the signal to go ahead. Kion focused on Bro- on _the prey's_ throat. The weak spot. So long and undefended on a zebra, Kion thought.

In the end, however, a cruel streak prevailed in Kion. He couldn't resist toying with his prey, just like his infamous predecessor in the Guard had. So he stood up. It didn't matter now, he wasn't using their friendship to get close to the zebra. He simply wanted Brody to see him, out of curiosity for what would happen.

"Brody!" Kion called, in a casual tone.

The zebra jumped in shock and turned around. "Kion? What are you doing-?" His words were cut off by teeth biting hard into his throat, tearing out his larynx and a strong, muscular set of paws pushing him down. The last thing Brody heard was a sound he loved... his herd running. Unfortunately, this time they were going away from him. Suddenly, another set of teeth ripped into his chest, and they were even deeper.

Together, Kion and Fuli ate this zebra without a fuss, as they had eaten many zebras before. But nevertheless, it _was_ different. Fuli, for one, had finally seen her love break his admittedly admirable character and become the creature of instinct and supreme will she'd pictured him being. And as for Kion himself, he felt as if he was delirious. He felt smug and wished he could eat faster so he could show off more of his skill. He looked at Fuli and found himself appreciating her in a way he never really considered before... no wonder she'd been an excellent trainer for him. Her lithe, smooth form, intelligence gleaming in those beautiful green eyes, with a defensive attitude that could slay any threat to potential cubs. Yes.

Hunting had awoken the mating instinct in him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Next time, sex ed with Timon & Pumbaa! Also, again, apologies for getting this out so late. It's been a really rough few days. I almost can't believe I finally finished this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!

* _I'm a Jesus Freak - Too true. I've actually done this myself on multiple fanfics, but the popularity of this one has finally managed to get me to break the habit. It's the reviews that keep it coming, man._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - Well, he is now, lol... also, I love that I made you react like that :D._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Aww, you're too kind._

 _*Carmen . sparkle . 738 - Thanks for the compliment... who's Kiasiri, though? Do you mean Jasiri?_

 _*SennaFan4ever - I was superglad to see she had a role in the most recent LG episode. It wasn't big, but it's probably the most we've seen of her since the second or even the first movie._

 _*Juria - I presume "3TP" means a three-way ship, lol? I might try to write one of those one day, actually, sounds interesting(and it would work in the LK universe). But you've actually hit jackpot without knowing about it: I wanted to have a plausible love triangle where it could go either way. I hate the "chosen one and the b*tch" triangles we always see in the movies. I suppose Fuli did briefly turn into that, but it was a momentary lapse and those do happen in real life._

 _*pinksakura271 - Just so you know, I'm sleeping with a gun under my pillow. Don't try anything. :D_

 _*The Howling Behemoth - Here's a good chance to begin..._

 _*DragoonSensei - Oh yeah..._

 _*Anonymous13 B - Whilst it is a VERY cute thought, the actual implication here was that Kion hadn't slept like this in a while... since he went through a fairly traumatic experience, he was allowed to take advantage of his passing childhood one last time... of course, the show being a different thing, you could picture it there. I'd love to see a scene inside the Pride Rock's lair for once, when everyone's falling asleep or something. Like, how and where do Kion and Kiara sleep? Super glad you got so into it. I do write a good liar... having done it myself on unfortunately numerous occasions(not malevolently: I just hate admitting my failures). And yeah, I was wondering if you were going to catch onto the "first kill" references, since I had established it already in a previous chapter._

* _v.t.7 - I did some research on that, and it turns out that lions with even minor manes(like Kion's little mohawk) are already well on their way to adults. He's significantly older than Simba was in the original movie. And to top it off, they actually reference him getting "the talk" on the show itself, in Return Of The Roar. Kiara... I can imagine Simba leaving that to Nala and her holding it off, lol. I have been thinking about The Lion Guard and LK 2 myself and I think they do fit, if we reused the old Kopa theory of Zira having killed or gotten rid of the errant cast members. Perhaps Nuka's "since the hyenas run off" comment applies to Janja's group. I'm planning to eventually include Kiara in this story and try to bring her two personalities together. I certainly have an explanation for it in mind already._

 _*TheWelshyLad - When I write my stories, the first thing I think about is the logic. I don't so much think about the story as simply what the characters would do in the given situation. As for Kion's love interest, well, there is one major clue..._


	16. Chapter 16

"Kion... get off of me _right now_!" Tiifu snarled. Seriously, Kion could be such an idiot sometimes, she thought. Who did he think she was, a hyena? Just tackling her from out of nowhere, and yet he asks them not to treat him like a cub. Pfft.

The lion prince had her pinned down, obviously completely lost in his stupid games. His mane looked shaggy and his eyes were feverish. Tiifu made a point of reminding Kiara to tell her mom to rein the crazed brother in a little. How were intelligent people supposed to feel safe when bleary-eyed cubs were ambushing them?

In anger, she swatted at Kion, causing him to growl at her until suddenly, a rock flew out of nowhere, hitting Kion straight on the head. Howling with pain, he ran off. Good riddance. Tiifu looked around for her saviour, but saw nobody. It was probably some more of Kion's friends doing heaven knows what. She decided to turn around and find another way back to Pride Rock.

* * *

As Tiifu departed, three heads popped out from a nearby, thick green bush. They would've been conspicuous together even if they weren't standing inside a bush at that moment, for they were from three very different points on the food chain: a hyena, a meerkat and a warthog.

"Good throw, Timon!" Pumbaa said.

"... aaand he's been like this ever since." Jasiri finished. "I ordered the Guard not to tell his dad yet, since I'm pretty sure it's got something to do with Fuli. She's been acting strange too. Doesn't want to talk."

Timon jumped out of the bush first, followed by Jasiri. Pumbaa appeared content in the growth. "Well, I wouldn't know about your cheetahs, but I can tell you what THAT is." He pointed in the direction Kion left. "Red-Eyes!"

"Oh boy." Pumbaa facehoofed.

Jasiri looked at him quizzically. "Red-Eyes?"

"That's right! An early onset of the lion mating instinct. To put it bluntly, he's horny!"

Pumbaa intervened. "I would say sexually aroused!"

"In the heat!"

"Pulsating!"

Jasiri stopped them, waving her paws. "Okay, okay! I get it, I got it. I've already suppressed it. What are we going to do?"

Timon snorted. "I'm sorry, was this question really asked?"

"Well, we did help Simba the first time around." Pumbaa pointed out.

Timon grabbed Pumbaa's snout. "BY FINDING A MATE. Jeez, Pumbaa, just because this is fanfiction and not a G-rated movie, doesn't give you the right to scar our readers!"

"Um, sorry." Pumbaa muttered.

Jasiri shook her head in confusion. "You two found Simba a mate...? But the King and Queen didn't meet until they were fully grown adults, didn't they? Certainly a lot older than Kion is now."

Timon gave her a patronising smile. "Well, that's how the story goes, isn't it? It's nice. Next you'll be telling me Scar isn't the Queen's father."

The hyena's eyes gave the cocky meerkat a piercing look. "There is no way that Simba cheated on the Queen. He's... he's..." she fumbled for words. "The King! He just wouldn't do that!"

"Of course he wouldn't. But you see, the "King and Queen" also weren't a thing until after, just like you said! They were just childhood friends! And besides, it's not like Simba's mating at the time mattered anything! He was a kid who found himself a lovely fluffy-haired brat! Ergo, shenanigans!"

"Who did he mate with?"

Timon shrugged and threw his hands up: "Oh, I don't know, Tava? Taga? I don't remember. We never saw her again!"

"So what _are_ we going to do about Kion?" Pumbaa asked.

The meerkat hopped back into the bush to climb onto his friend's back. "Well, I would've thought that was obvious. _You_..." he pointed at Jasiri. "Find him a mate."

Jasiri began to stutter. "Y-you mean, like-like a lioness?"

"No, I meant a hyena, so we can be in-laws together." he said sarcastically. "Yes, a lioness!"

"Ehh... wouldn't that technically be step-in-laws?" Pumbaa pointed out.

"... right."

* * *

Kion followed a stream of water away from the more commonly trodded areas, determined to find a quiet spot to try and concentrate. Soon enough, he came across a little cave that the stream flowed into, forming a little natural bridge over his head. As soon as he was in the shadows, the lion cub ducked his head into the water, giving him a little more clarity. His head still felt hotter than a volcano, but it was better than nothing.

He thanked the Kings that he had had enough foresight to tell the Guard to take a day off. He didn't have to worry about them or the borders being undefended. However, that still only left him with one day to get his... madness or whatever it was under control. Kion did vaguely understand what was happening to him. Somehow, his primal instincts had begun to dominate him. But the symptoms made it hard for him to try and figure out why.

Nevertheless, one good idea did break through the mush. He walked out from under the bridge and looked at his unwashed reflection in the water, with the sun glaring over his head. "Grandfather?" he whispered.

Suddenly, Kion's rough, ill-looking form was replaced by the vision of Mufasa, appearing as he did in his prime. "Yes, Kion." A voice spoke in Kion's head, whilst the mouth of the vision moved. Mufasa smiled at him.

"I need your help. Can't... stop this." he said, motioning towards his heavy head. "I need to go back to how I was before."

Mufasa chuckled, his deep, clear voice comforting the younger lion. "Kion, you've left behind the cub you were. You don't need me to find the answer... you must simply look harder."

Kion watched in horror as his grandfather's image dissolved. "No, Grandfather! I need you! Please!" He even splashed at the water. "Don't leave me!"

The water reformed and he saw himself again... but different. There was more red than he remembered. He scratched his neck and back, seeing the paw in the mirror pass through red strands of hair. It wasn't a mane by any means yet, but he could see it growing. Even the mane on his head seemed thicker and much more... there.

 _"You've left behind the cub you were."_ Mufasa had said. He just needed to mate.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _So, do I have to sign a contract saying I'm never allowed to use Timon and Pumbaa again? Also, has anyone else read the new Lion Guard comic "The Day Of The Crocodiles"? I totally ship Kion/Zuri now. Bit late for that, though. XD_

* _Guest - They're very cute. Although when you say "Kiasiri", the first thing that pops into my mind is Kiara, lol._

 _*FanficFan920 - Hm?_

 _*pinksakura271 - Yes, I'm very proud of the sun/moon thing. I mean, I figured that if there were "Kings Above", there would also be "Kings Below", which would be all the great villains. Scar's definitely down there somewhere. And then that would of course be added into their religion. Can't say about Fuli yet... who knows what the big bad lion did to her?_

 _*I'm a Jesus Freak - I'm gonna go grab a banana now. Also, ditto. I've got a number of unfinished stories because it's usually just one or two people popping in to say "Cool. Can't wait for the next one." Which, no offense, isn't particularly inspiring._

 _*DragoonSensei - Well, I suppose I could change that chapter... for ONE BILLION DOLLARS! *dramatic zoom*_

 _*v.t.7. - Whatever happened to "I don't have much to say", lol? But okay..._

 _1) You have to consider the way lions age differently to humans. According to my research(aka Google search), male lions between ages 1 and 2 can grow short manes and become sub-adults. So they are a sort of teenager group. But first of all, this could happen at any time for the various cubs and secondly, it doesn't seem to happen with female cubs(since they just slowly grow up to be lionesses). Male lions also lose their playful nature significantly faster than females do. If I am right, it'd be quite plausible for Kiara to be more immature than her brother, despite being technically older.  
_ _But in any case, the show definitely doesn't follow its rule. The Lion King films and shows have always taken place in a floating timeline. There's no telling when these events actually happened. I doubt our heroes will age on-screen.  
_ _What's so special about season 3?  
_ _The episode with Nuka, Kovu and Vitani isn't a rumored one, they're amongst the voice cast. And since they were announced ahead of season 2, I'd say there's a good chance that we're gonna be seeing them this year.  
_ _Others have told me that the Elephant Graveyard IS in the Outlands. I'm a bit iffy on that one, since the location seems to be different from LK 1 to LK 2, but the geysers in the Lion Guard Outlands look very much like the Elephant Graveyard's._

 _2) That's a very interesting comparison you brought up. I definitely wanted to highlight how different the animal society works from our own... Kion and Brody are definitely close friends, but all of that is silently dropped during hunting time... think of it like the Dothrak city in Game Of Thrones(if you follow that, everyone else seem to), but in reverse.  
As such, I don't feel like Kion really betrayed Brody, but he did kind of violate the silent rules by actually talking to Brody and letting him sort of know what was happening. He was essentially like Scar playing with his mouse, but hey, Kion's a cub. I'm sure he'll learn._

 _3) Lions and hyenas are not compatible either. And for that matter, it's lionesses who initiate the mating ritual in the real world. In the end, it's still a fanfic and I'm still a shipper. I don't care if it's a lion and a cheetah or hyena, I care that it's Kion and Fuli or Jasiri._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - I'm super glad you enjoy my style! I have a series of cute Kion/Jasiri one-off chapters in mind to satiate you all, so hold on a little further..._

 _*The Howling Behemoth - I really put the "morph" into anthropomorphism, if you pardon the pun._

 _*Dragonfan - I see your point, but I want to stay true with what I started out with. Besides, I want to prove that a competent love triangle can be written and if I had both of them win, that would kind of defeat the point. I do really like both of the characters with Kion, so it's a tough one. In any case, it's good to have you around. Keep typing those reviews, they're great for feedback!_

 _*NumaNumaNa - Jasiri's riiiight over there. I don't really see what you mean, I've had chapters without her before. If you're referring to the storyline, it's because I'm focusing more on Kion's development at the moment._


	17. Chapter 17

"... so that's what we're doing. Any questions?" Jasiri asked them.

The Kupatana Guard all looked at her with blank expressions.

Ono spoke first: "No offense, Jasiri, but helping Kion with his love life isn't exactly in our contract."

"What's a contract?" Bunga asked, sending Ono into his renowned teacher mode.

"A contract is a symbol or a mark representing a done deal between two sides over something." He explained and pointed towards the lion symbol on his shoulder, using his wings. "When Kion made us members of the Guard, he technically became our contractor."

Beshte looked amazed. "Whoooa... hey!" He grabbed a fistful of mud and slapped it onto Bunga. "I contract you to negotiate with the rattlesnakes next week!"

"Oh yeah?" The honey badger was up for the challenge. "Well, I..." he said as he slightly scratched Beshte's thick skin with his sharp claws. "contract you to go and spend 10 minutes with Makuu's crocodiles without leaving the water!"

Ono sighed. "And that's... not how that works."

Jasiri leaped off of the platform they reserved for announcements and landed between Bunga and Beshte, putting an end to their contract tag battle. "Hey! This is serious! Kion can't lead the Guard the way he is now. We need to figure out what to do and now, _before_ his parents find out!"

"Find out what?"

Jasiri froze as the Queen's calm voice penetrated the scene. Nala walked into the Guard's lair, with a slight smile on her face.

"Well, that, uh..."

Bunga piped up again. "Kion's looking to ma-" Jasiri stepped on his tail.

"-ke some, uh... new, uh... friends?" she finished his sentence

Nala's expression turned harder. "Is there a problem?"

"Nope! No problem! He's gone, uh... into the jungle! Yeah! Cause it's our day off!"

"And you're all here?" the Queen pointed out. "I would've expected any of you to be anywhere, but here on your day off..."

Ono came to the hyena's rescue. "Pardon me for asking so, your majesty, but what brings you to these parts? Didn't the King tell you that we wouldn't be here today?"

Nala looked down towards the bird with gentleness. "He did, but as I recall, this is now also Jasiri's home." She raised her head to face the hyena again. "And I was hoping to talk to her."

"Of course! We can talk-"

Nala interrupted her. "But I would like my questions answered first. Me and Simba told far too many lies in our childhood to not recognise a diversion, Ono, but it's good of you to try."

Ono gulped.

"So, is anyone going to tell me what's going on... or do I have to bite it out of you?"

Jasiri's ears covered her head defensively and she ran towards Nala with her head low. "Your Majesty, that won't be necessary!"

"Of course it won't be, I was kidding."

As Jasiri stared at her, Nala began to laugh. "You have a lot to learn about us if you think we'd actually threaten our subjects without good reason. It's okay, the rest of you can go."

Still holding their breaths, the rest of the Guard muttered thanks and exited the lair.

Nala turned back to an awkwardly smiling Jasiri. "But seriously, where's my son?"

* * *

Timon spluttered as he suddenly found himself in cold water. "Pumbaa?!" he screamed. Just as he was enjoying a nice nap on his friend's head.

Pumbaa picked him out from the pool. The two had arrived back in the jungle. "Sorry, Timon, but I really needed you awake."

"Awake? For what? Listen, if this is about those green bugs again, I _told you_ , they may be nice and shiny, but they give you more gas than a hose with a broken meter!"

"I'm just worried about Kion, that's all." Pumbaa stated. "I'm thinking that hyena girl's right, we really should do something about him."

"Pumbaa, he's a teen." Timon groaned. "And not only that, he's a teen in a pride _filled_ with stinking lionesses! If he can't guarantee himself a warm, hairy night, then let's face it, the problem is him."

Pumbaa cocked his head to the side. "Well, we're still his family, Timon. And I think we should look after him and make sure he's happy, don't you? After all, when we're old and can't do things anymore, he'll remember that and help us catch bugs and things!"

Timon paused. "Hey, wait a minute..." he grinned. "What if he'll remember that and help us catch bugs and things when we're old?"

The warthog nodded. "Having a lion around worked out for us the first time."

"It's decided!" Timon leaped onto Pumbaa's back again. "To... uh... wait, what are we supposed to do again?"

"You're the brains, Timon. That's what you always say!" Pumbaa retorted irritatedly.

"Right! Um... uh..." the meerkat scratched his head. "Well, I..."

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Pumbaa began leaping on the ground, causing Timon to accidentally bounce off of him again. "I've got it, Timon! When my older brother George needed someone to do something, he'd always go and advertise it and interview potential suitors!"

Timon dusted himself off and gave his friend a mean look. "What do you want me to do, interview young lionesses?"

* * *

"So, your name is Tiifu?" Timon asked.

Tiifu nodded awkwardly, having no idea what the eccentric meerkat wanted of her. He had cornered her whilst she and Zuri were playing with a ball, forcing the latter to wait further away until he'd finished talking to her. As the King's adoptive parent, he and his friend were allowed... things.

"Right... interesting! Interesting..." Timon said, sitting on a rock and looking at a grimy old newspaper that served as his notes. He had no idea what it said, but he just felt he needed to hold and look at some sort of notes during an interview. It was the way these things went.

"Why?" Tiifu asked confusedly.

"What?"

"Why is my name interesting?" she asked.

Timon raised his eyebrow. "It's not. Who's asking the questions around here?"

"Uh..."

He waved his hand. "That's right. Now, you've known Kion for... how long exactly?"

"Since we were born...? We all live in the same cave, you do know that, right?"

Timon tapped his chin. "I see, I see... so that would mean plenty of contact."

"What is this about?"

"Well..."

* * *

"Right, so you're training to be a hunter?"

Samaki nodded. She noticed the meerkat had a black eye, but didn't say anything.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Okay, so this chapter was really just a one-off joke, but hey, it's good to have a laugh every once in a while. There's just too much fun to be had with this, so I stuffed it all in here. Of course, Nala is now at least aware that something is up... you don't lie to the former Princess of Excuses. Heaven help them if Simba gets a sniff of this. Next chapter sees Kion and Jasiri reunited, so I can finally stop depriving you of the reason you came here to begin with. Again. Maybe. *sneaky smile*_

 _Also, are you finding it impossible to read recent reviews on the site? There seems to be a weird glitch going on. The only reason I know what you said is because I get the emails._

 _*DragoonSensei - Thanks for the compliment. It really means a lot._

 _*The Howling Behemoth - Always happy to hear that. :D_

 _*Mylenrawr - No specific reason, I just usually prefer to write in short bursts. It really depends on how I'm feeling._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - Yeah, he's not the only one... the identity of Simba's ex-girlfriend is something I'll eventually get back to. However, I don't really think they "found someone for Simba to satisfy his lust". I think Simba and X were a genuine couple. Mating is still mating, after all. It's not purely lust, it's the desire for a MATE, someone to share with._

 _*casey . tesney - I have no idea._

 _*LionKingIsAwesome - A Kion/Fuli fic could happen, sure. I can imagine that. Although I'm currently pre-occupied with this._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - It wasn't weird before, lol?_

 _*Kion the Lion - Don't even go there..._

 _*pinksakura271 - XD_

 _*I'm a Jesus Freak - I hope this tickled your funny bone a little more... yeah, this storyline certainly does lend itself to comedy much more, although I have to be careful not to lose focus._


	18. Chapter 18

Jasiri gulped as she headed back to Pride Rock, trotting beside the larger Queen like a domesticated pet. Against all odds, she had managed to convince the Queen that Kion was away on a trip to... learn more about himself(a little truth goes a long way).

But just as she had begun to hope that the Queen would leave and let her get on with finding a way to help Kion, the lioness had revealed why she had wanted to talk to Jasiri in the first place: to present her to the leaders of nearby prides, all of whom had gathered to Pride Rock. Apparently, Simba wanted to make an example of her. She wasn't entirely opposed to the idea, having fought for respect towards her kind for long. That didn't stop her from being completely nerve-wracked at the thought of facing not one mighty Lion King, but a whole roomful of them!

She gritted her teeth. Why did Kion have to pick this day of ALL the days in the world to go on a mating spree?! She wished he was with her now, telling a wisecrack or a quip that would cheer her up and make her feel better about all this. He probably knew the other Kings as well and could mediate between her and them better than Simba. Still, there was nothing to be done now.

As it was midday, most of the lionesses were lounging in the sun. They weren't just the lionesses from Simba's pride, however. A few had foreign-looking facial features and some had leaner bodies, that betrayed their harder living conditions. These were the mates and royal guard of the other Kings, mingling with the local huntresses whilst the Kings kept themselves on top of Pride Rock.  
Simba's pride, known as Uwanja wa Maisha(The "Circle Of Life" pride) outside of the Pride Lands held great power amongst the lions. They had the healthiest lands and were surrounded by much harsher areas like the desert and the Outlands, giving them a strategic advantage. Nobody would come and go unless they either got lost or knew exactly how to. It was no wonder, some laughed, that youngsters were given the duty of patrol.

Sensing their approach, a few of the lionesses lazily raised their heads off the ground and gazed towards the approaching duo. It seemed that they'd been warned of Jasiri's unique position as none of them appeared remotely alarmed about her presence. In fact, they seemed more interested in Nala. One of them, a scrawny-looking huntress with a dark grin called out to her: "Hey, Nala! I hear your boy's quite the player!"

Jasiri froze.

"Yeah, he's turning mating into a job!" another one yelled. Soft laughter passed through the group.

Nala raised her eyebrow and glanced down. "Do you know anything about this, Jasiri?"

The hyena grinned inanely. "Why-why would I know any-anything ab-ab-ab-about this? I'm... just... uh... a friend! Right? You-you don't tell friends where you go and who you mate with, I mean, that'd be just, uh, silly, right? That'd be like if I told you that I wished he was my mate, I mean-I mean, you just don't go tell people that stuff, am I right? Right?" She gulped. _What the heck did I just say?_ she thought in a frenzy.

Nala gave her a deadpan stare.

Jasiri kept smiling as long as she could until finally breaking: "He is mating. Bye!"

Breaking into laughter out of sheer nervousness, she ran away, incapable of holding the tension any longer. Nala shook her head. Since when was mating a problem? Oh right... when you were young. She sighed. So much for Simba's presentation.

* * *

Jasiri stood inside the Kupatana Guard lair, breathing heavily. She had held a vague hope of finding someone from the Guard(preferably Ono) here, but clearly, they had all taken the Queen's permission to leave to heart. Figuring that the situation probably wouldn't escalate if she managed to get Kion and snap him out of his instincts on the same day, Jasiri knew she had to think fast. There wasn't enough time to gather up the Guard, who had probably scattered all over the Pride Lands by this point so she was on her own. How could she help Kion on her own?

She pressed her paws against her head. How had Timon and Pumbaa helped Simba? They'd found a mate for him. Probably by looking and asking... which might explain how the foreigners had heard of the situation before the Queen did. It's not like Fuli would talk.

Fuli... there it was! The answer! The cheetah had been with him when it started, so she would know what exactly caused it. Find the cause, find the cure.

Jasiri opened her eyes, turned around and crawled out of the lair. She scowled as she saw the shadows of the trees grow longer and the sun lowering itself in the sky. The day was coming to a close. Fortunately, she didn't need to look for Fuli. After their initially rocky clash, Fuli and Jasiri had become fast friends and the hyena knew all of her favourite places. Or to be more exact, fields. Because when a cheetah was moping, she didn't just sit around and stare at her reflection.

And thus, she hiding in a bush for the second time today, waiting for the yellow streak to chase her meal, a terrified gazelle towards her, at which point Jasiri simply stuck out her leg, causing Fuli to crash into the gazelle. Not even pausing to think about what happened, Fuli grappled the animal and bit hard into his neck(Jasiri recognised him as Ted: the Guard had rescued the fella from underneath a fallen tree only a few days ago), causing him to die within moments.

Fuli glanced at Jasiri. "You want a bite? There's plenty for both."

"I'm not hungry."

The cheetah raised her eyebrow. "A hyena with a full stomach? Now I know I'm in trouble." She paused for a second before continuing. "Is this about Kion?"

"You _know_ what this is about." Jasiri deadpanned, causing Fuli to look away. "You can't be honest with the Guard. Ono tells me that half of his time nowadays is spent on tracking you down. What kind of a friend are you, anyway? First you insult me without provocation, especially when it was pretty clear that your leader trusts me, then you hide things from us..."

"It's none of your business." Fuli hissed at her. "What's happening to Kion is natural, you know that! I've got nothing to tell you. And what friend am I? Do you really think I hang out with Bozo the Badger for companionship?! I'm with the Lion Guard to protect the Pride Lands and that's it. My personal life just isn't open for debate."

Jasiri slapped Fuli on the head. "OW!"

"Maybe that will remind you of the chain of authority here. In Kion's absence, _I'm_ in charge of the Kupatana Guard. So either you tell me the truth now or I'll just kind of have you fired."

Fuli stared at her, in a mix of spite and growing respect. "Only he can do that."

Jasiri laughed. "What, take the tattoo out? Yeah, but I can _burn_ it out. Gives the word 'fired' a whole new meaning, doesn't it? Hahahaha! Get it? 'Fired?' Buuuut I'm going off topic. The point is... Fuli, just tell me the truth, okay? I don't want to fight you and I don't think you want to fight me anymore either."

"Well, no." Fuli said. For the past few weeks, she had managed to build quite a partnership with the mischievous hyena, which she hated to lose. It's just that... opening up _really_ wasn't her thing? Why couldn't people just leave things alone?

"Just spit out." Jasiri suggested. "Whatever it is, I can take it."

Fuli sighed deeply and laid down onto the ground, gathering her thoughts. The grass felt cool and comfortable against her fur, to the point where she actually wished she'd be alone to take a nap. But again, life just wasn't nice like that. Having rested for a moment however, she leaped back up again. _What_ was she doing?! When had she become such a melodramatic, petulant little cub?! She was Fuli, fastest of the Pride Lands, member of the Kupatana Guard defending the herds! Was this really what she'd become? The one who mopes alone whilst the adults do the heavy lifting? No! Enough of this rubbish! She'd finished things yesterday and she was going to admit it now.

"Kion offered to mate with me."

Jasiri didn't say anything for a few seconds. A million different expectations raced through Fuli's head as she waited for the hyena's reaction.

Finally, it came: "That's it?"

Fuli's eyes briefly drifted to the right, before focusing on Jasiri again. "W-what?"

"Kion is offering to mate with _everyone_. That's... what you do when you're in the mating cycle?" Jasiri said, as if speaking to an idiot.

"Yeah, but I said no!"

Jasiri just threw her paws in the air, not getting the point. But as she looked into the cheetah's slightly reddish-tinted, desperate eyes, it did hit her. "You? You... him?"

"Well, I thought I did. I mean, I had him. Right there. I could've done it and... and..." her voice wavered. "I said no. I mean, it doesn't mean anything, does it?! He's not really himself, he didn't... he didn't choose me!"

Jasiri didn't know the specifics of lion bonding, but if it _was_ a natural process... something in her didn't let her tell that to Fuli. It was as if something strangled her throat as she opened her mouth, a force within her more powerful than her friendship with the cheetah.

"No." She finally said. "Probably not."

* * *

After receiving a promise from Fuli to return to the Kupatana Guard and apologise to them, Jasiri spent the rest of the day tracking Kion down. Most of the eyewitnesses were lionesses of similar age of course, none of whom had fortunately made sense of the cub's stilted attempts to bond with them. The poor prince had spent so much time on defending the Pride Lands that he had little time left over for romantic overtures.

Something that the hyena intended to rectify.

She tracked his steps all the way outside of the Pride Lands, into the cracked canyon where they had their confrontation with Mzingo and the hyenas. There was nothing out there anymore, except for Jasiri's old cave.

As she slipped into the hidden passage, Jasiri sniffed the air. Yes, the trace was unmistakable! And oh-so fresh! He was undeniably still here. To tell the truth, the smell was a bit... she couldn't put her nose on it... warped? It wasn't exactly like Kion, but she attributed that to the mating cycle.

Jasiri soon arrived at the entrance to her cave and there, in front of the shadow the cave walls made in the dwindling sun sat the lion prince himself. The hyena smiled as she saw him. The mating cycle had certainly had an effect on him: his stylish, slicked-back mane had grown exponentially in both length and mass, to the point where it was no longer slicked-back, but hung in front of his head in bangs. They were also slightly off-colour, although that might've been an effect of the light. His face appeared slightly different, with an elongated muzzle.  
Nevertheless, the gaze from those carefree eyes was unmistakable.

He didn't say a word as Jasiri approached, merely took in the sight of her. Or was that all? As he continued to look at her, Jasiri's gait slowed, her movements becoming more cautious. Was Kion happy to see her, or was he _happy to see her_?

Jasiri bit on her lip as the two of them continued to stare each other down. She was the first to break, closing her eyes and lowering her head. _It's him, you mutt! Go on! Do it now or do it never!_

"Kion... I... I want to tell you something."

The lion raised his eyebrows.

"I think... I think that I may be in love with you." She giggled nervously and knocked herself on the head to stop. Why did the hyena in her always break out in the worst of times? "I know you haven't mated yet... and Fuli told me about what happened between you two. So... I, uh... heh heh heh, I mean... if you feel something like that... do you think...?"

She looked up at him, out of words.

Finally, he spoke: "That's beautiful. Wow... I don't want to be the one to do this to you, but... uh, I'm not Kion. You got the wrong lion. My name's Kopa."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Could it be true? Is this chapter finally finished? Guys, it's been one hell of a week. So, so, sorry for leaving you waiting for this long, but at least I came back with a big bang, right? Penny for your thoughts!_

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - I hope it was worth the wait..._

 _*Guest - What makes you think Kion and Fuli are not a good couple? Also, the reason why Kion attacked Tiifu was because he was trying to mate with her? She didn't understand and thought he was just childishly tackling her. I wouldn't say they're BFFs though. Apart from a heartwarming KionxZuri comic, both of Kiara's friends seem to dislike Kion._

 _*The Howling Behemoth - That would be pretty hilarious... btw, you didn't specify what kind of drama bomb, so I picked NUCLEAR._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - Gah! Bad image! BAD IMAGE! Where do you get those analogies, lol?!_

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - First of all, congratulations on your promotions, Reverend. Second of all, I can see you have some experiences with plotlines running amok. You just want to put all the good stuff into the story, but also have a consistent storyline... fortunately, I managed to balance the two by focusing more on the relationship than any strict plotline._

 _*DragoonSensei - Aww, that's such a great compliment, thanks! Fuli's right here._

 _*pinksakura271 - Darn, Kion and Jasiri were so close here lol... at least her feelings are now out in the open._

 _*Anonymous13 B(Chapter 15) - The moon thing was a result of my mulling over the Kings Above. I figured that if there's a "Kings Above", there might be a "Kings Below" as well(remember when Kovu asked whether Scar was up there?), the darker incarnation. The hardest part, of course, was fitting it into a believable mythology. The sun and the moon were obvious choices, since they would be the two constants for the lions. After all, our own cultures have worshipped them since the dawn of time._

 _The water scene was inspired by our conversations, lol._

 _I do love the flashback, since it's a little peek into the cuter period of cubs that I've never really written before. I might expand on Ukweli at some later date, as there's definitely room for development there..._

 _*Anonymous13 B(Chapter 16) - Of course I wanted to capture Timon and Pumbaa as well as possible, after the show's inability to do so... I've gotten good feedback about it too! I would like to point out, however, that Mufasa hasn't actually left Kion. He simply said that he can't help him with this particular problem, but he's still around to offer advice. Since I never overly liked what the show did with Mufasa, I wanted to show that there are some things you just have to do on your own, and Mufasa is smart enough to understand this._

 _*Anonymous13 B - Yeah, it seems my interpretation of Nala has become influenced by TPYMK..._

 _*zootopiafan - Thank you ever so much! I see you're into Zootopia. Haven't seen that film yet, but I've only heard good things about it..._

 _*LionKingIsAwesome - You are awesome too! It's in your name, after all, lol._

 _*v.t.7 (Chapter 16) - IKR? I bloody adore fourth wall breaks, they're always brilliant. I might do another one down the line, just because I love them so much. About the maturity, I have decided to dial that down just a little. I can tell when something doesn't work.  
The Game Of Thrones thing basically works like this: there's a city, where all the feuding clans put down their blades and conflicts and live and party together. Here, it's the other way around: most of the time, the animals are happy to live alongside one another in harmony, but during the hunt it's simply the predator and prey. They're simply following the Circle Of Life. Kion slightly broke the unspoken law by addressing Brody as a friend(which was kind of cruel), but then again, there's still some cub left in him._

* _v.t.7 - Would you mind clarifying why you think Beshte and Bunga are OOC? I've always seen them as slightly competetive and easily distracted. I mean, remember how competent they were in "Never Judge A Hyena By Its Spots", when they lost Kion? Not to mention Bunga's infamous desire to leap into a volcano? It's their "Little B, Big B" game at work here.  
Timon's newspaper is a little in-joke reference to the "Timon & Pumbaa" TV show._

 _*Revan Alek Shan - Yes, sir!_

 _*zootopiafan(Chapter 1) - I am very much a romantic, so I'm afraid I can't resist writing them as lovers at some point, but your review changed more than you know. I'm sure we'll see Kiara at some point..._

 _*supperbronyboy - Here you go! Anything for a fellow brony..._


	19. Author's Note

www . youtube . "com" "/" watch ? v =_ ZfFhREX7fM

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _I have a feeling that you of all people can appreciate the hard work put into this KionxJasiri tribute. I know that releasing a Youtube video isn't that big of a deal, but some people have small dreams. To me, it's the first step towards fulfilling ideas that I've had for a long time. And I couldn't have done it without feeling the support of all you Kion/Jasiri fans. So, I hope you enjoy my handiwork!_

 _To those of you who just want Chapter 19(don't lie, there's no shame), it IS coming. I just finished the school year, so I'm slowly unwinding from that. We're going to have chapters weekly again._

 _On a more comic note, Windows Movie Maker SUCKS so much. Every time I made a little edit, I had to listen to the song all over again just to see if it worked because the damn thing would go out of sync the moment I clicked play from anywhere, but the start._

 _I'll reply to all your lovely reviews in the next chapter!_


	20. Chapter 19

Jasiri's mouth opened. Then it closed. Then it opened again. Finally, she said: "But you look just like him. You even _smell_ just like him!"

"I guess that's just nature for ya. Did you arrange to meet him here?" Kopa asked, curious. A hyena offering to mate with a lion! No wonder they were meeting in a desolate canyon.

"No!" Jasiri protested. "I just tracked him down here."

Kopa waved his paw back and forth. "You must've gotten your scents mixed up then. I'm guessing your lion is from Pride Rock?"

"He is, yeah. What's it to you? What are _you_ doing here?" Jasiri demanded. As far as she knew, there were no other lion prides nearby. So Kopa had to have come from far away.

"Looking for my mother." Kopa confessed. "She, uh... she's from around here. I wanted to be discreet, though."  
Though he hadn't met his mother for a while now, he did remember her saying she had left Pride Rock during the rule of an awful king called Scar, who'd endlessly chased after her. Ironically, she'd taken the next King for her mate after that.

"A friendly vulture said I could wait here whilst he fetched her."

Jasiri groaned. "Oh no... did he mention his name was Mzingo?"

Kopa raised his eyebrow. "He did, actually, yeah. I'm guessing he's not a good guy."

"You could say that again." She tossed her head towards the path away. "Come with me, I'll take you to the Kupatana Guard's lair. We can be..." she suddenly remembered Bunga. "Discreet."

The lion smiled and stood up. "You're a lot prettier than the vulture, but why should I listen to you and not him? Lions and hyenas are traditional enemies." He didn't doubt that the hyena had been genuine during the moment they met, so clearly she wasn't all bad, but still... the vulture had seemed pretty casual and helpful too.

Jasiri chuckled. "Well... we have a tradition of breaking traditions around here. So..." she offered her paw. "I'm Jasiri."

Kopa shook the paw. "Hi, Jasiri. It's nice to meet you."

* * *

Holding her head high(metaphorically, as she had to crawl), Fuli entered the Kupatana Guard's den. Her encounter with Jasiri had finally forced to her to face her own hypocrisy and inability to work as a team. But this was a new start, she promised herself. She couldn't deny that she was terrified of the Guard's reaction to seeing her, however. Ready to take on the accusations, Fuli went in.

As sharp-eyed as ever, Ono noticed her first. "Fuli!" he shouted in his usual patronising tone.

"Are you okay?!" Beshte ran over to her and poked at the cheetah with his nose, almost causing her to topple over. Ono landed on Fuli's back. "We can help you work through it if you'll talk to us!" he said.

Bunga hugged Fuli's leg. "I promise to be a bit less annoying if you'll stay!"

Fuli finally laughed. She was _definitely_ staying.

* * *

As Nala walked into the little clearing on top of Pride Rock where the Kings held their meeting, the conversation momentarily halted.

"Sorry to interrupt." She said with a soft smile. "Simba, if I can have a minute?"

Simba nodded and followed his Queen downhill. Out of sight, the two nuzzled and Simba gratefully dropped his "your majesty" act for a moment, holding Nala against his mane.  
She poked her head out. "You know, if you squeeze me any harder, you may have an excuse to adjourn the meeting." She swatted at him playfully and he backed away.

Simba rolled his eyes. "Yeah, so I can have Zazu and his neverending scheduling on my back again." He stretched himself out and yawned. "At least the lionesses are having a good time with the guests. Maybe today I won't get a complaint about the herds or the crocodiles or the hyenas again. Hey, remind me to tell the Guard to set up some kind of... I don't know, office where they can go to whine about these things? That's another complaint: the Guard is all over the place all the time."

"Speaking of the Guard, I don't think you'll be able to introduce Jasiri today." Nala said. Simba widened his eyes.

"Nala! We _need_ Jasiri in this meeting. The Kings are voting to bring in stronger security measures to keep their herds out of our lands. I can't imagine anyone in the Pride Lands wanting to see outsider patrols moving about."

Nala frowned. "Has it really come this far?"

Simba nodded. He'd argued against the idea in numerous messages that carrier birds had dutifully delivered to the other Prides already and this was a decisive meeting. If Jasiri wasn't there to prove that hyenas weren't exclusively a threat, the vote could very well be the end of it.

"It's now or never, Nala. What is it? Where is she?"

"She ran after Kion. He's going through the mating cycle." Nala confessed.

"What, _now_?!"

Nala shrugged. She remembered her own mating cycle well. Her mother had managed to lead her away from Pride Rock, isolating her until the fever had passed. _Very_ fortunately, since there had been only one male in the pride at that time and nobody apart from a loony wanted to be HIS mate. Simba probably had a similar experience in the jungle, she reasoned, as no lions lived there nor did he seem to have met any during his time there.

Simba dragged his paw over his face. "Can you track her down and bring her back here? Preferably before I have to announce a hyena cub as the future heir?"

Nala kissed him on the cheek. "I'll get right on it."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Wow, my Kion/Jasiri tribute video turned out to be soooooo popular, lol. Maybe it's just bigger in my mind because of just how new all this editing stuff is to me. Still, I'm glad some of you enjoyed it._

 _But back to business: how ironic is it that just when Fuli moves on, we get a new, potentially even hotter and more mysterious lion in the mix? Oh, dear, dear... it's time for Kion to get a taste of the other side of the love triangle.  
_

 _*Kion the Lion - Oh, you know Jasiri... she's a tough girl, she bounces back right on her feet._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Ha! Nice one. That's why I made sure to have as little boundaries with this one as possible. So I can't disappoint myself._

 _*The Howling Behemoth - You... respect my cruelty? Wow. Also, what hyena friend would that be?_

 _*supperbronyboy - You asked for more of this story, you got it._

 _*LionKingIsAwesome - Oh, I'm sure Kopa will throw a wrench or two into the status quo... that rhymed, lol._

 _*pinksakura271 - Nala does seem to catch on fast... but Simba might need a little convincing. Oh, if Kion was himself, he'd definitely think twice before asking anyone to mate with him... you know how determined he is to do the right thing._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - Doesn't it always?_

 _*DragoonSensei - I am wonderfully animaniac._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - I always wanted them to meet up... Kopa needs more love than ever now that Kion's reign in fanfiction has begun._

 _*Guest - Kiara isn't missing, she's just not been a part of the story up until this moment._

 _*Guest - Mhmh._

 _*zootopiafan - I haven't managed to see Zootopia yet(it only hit the theaters today and of course I have a concert...), but I really think I'm gonna enjoy it. Sounds awesome. As for Jasiri's current determination to "sacrifice" herself, trust me, it wouldn't be graphic. These fanfics do come with ratings of their own, you know. But I haven't said it'll happen! I'd say Kion doesn't know, but definitely shares the feelings. Remember how determined he was to find Jasiri when she ran off?  
_

 _*v.t.7 - Yeah, I'd have to agree with your criticisms from the show. Fortunately, these guys are real LK fans and I'm sure they'll take the feedback to heart. It's still quite the basic children's show, so I can't imagine we'll see any longterm animosity between the characters, but we've already seen Fuli try and keep away from them, so there is a precedent for more in-fighting. I think both Bunga and Beshte can be playfully competitive, though. Beshte misunderstood the point of the contracts and had a fun game with Little B._

 _I have a lot of fondness for Kopa and I wouldn't say everybody interpreted him differently. Over the years, the fandom solidified a backstory for him and his personality seemed pretty consistent to me(Simba's charm and Nala's intelligence). Now that Kion has taken over as Simba's "main" son, Kopa is gonna be phased out of the fics and I wanted to keep him alive for a little longer._

 _*Moonlit Novel - Glad you love it! This chapter length just seems to work for me best. I like to have one "event" per chapter, with subplot filling._

 _*Anonymous13 B - Kion and Kopa, together at last, eh...?_

 _*pinksakura271 (Author's Note) - Didn't need to be that patient! XD_

 _*Moonlit Novel(Author's Note) - Not allowed? Get into trouble? My dear fellow, what on earth are you talking about?_

 _*Zipporah . Michel(Author's Note) - Back at ya._

 _*zootopiafan(Author's Note) - I think you'll be satisfied with my backstory for Kopa... in any case, thanks for watching the video! It really matters to me. :)_


	21. Chapter 20

Simba sighed as he watched his better half take off. Though they were far too busy these days to ever go on adventures like they did as cubs, Simba and Nala were still a team and tackled the problems of ruling a kingdom just like they tackled the friends and foes of their youth, knowing that the other would be there to offer the appropriate quip or suggestion. Possibly as a result of his extended leave during Scar's era, Simba had become more dependent on this connection as he'd reunited with Nala and matured. Now, he felt like part of his own self was running away from him to do something else.

He shook himself. A King couldn't afford to be sentimental at a crucial time like this. He headed back up the mountain, to the large clearing on top where the other Kings were gathered, walking deliberately slowly to give himself the maximum amount of time for thinking the situation over.

The Pride Lands were, to put it simply, incredibly wanted. It was huge, it contained many, many healthy herds that didn't fear lions due to the unspoken laws of hunting between them and it was surrounded by a desert, making it hard to find. At the same time, the desert isolated the Pride Lands and troubled all the prides that, in turn, surrounded the desert as they couldn't cooperate with the Kupatana Guard to protect the borders from the cockroaches crossing over, since nobody could bear to patrol in the desert. As harsh as the wasteland was, it made crossing prides incredibly easy for the hyenas and other villains. And now the Kings wanted to send their own lions into the Pride Lands to help Simba with the problem ... or, as he suspected, create a foothold in his kingdom.

Hearing chatter from towards clearing, Simba paused and grinned. Though he doubted they'd be discussing anything too serious in his own home, he might catch a few interesting tidbits if he just listened... lowering himself close to the ground, Simba glided closer to the the council and kept his ears open. There WAS one voice that caught his attention. It was a high-pitched, snippy tone that he'd heard somewhere before...

In shock, he rose to his full height. He recognised that accursed voice and now laid eyes on its distasteful owner. _Mzingo the vulture_! Casually engaged in discussion with the other lions in Simba's own home! The arrogance of the treacherous creature was beyond comparison.

Simba roared, immediately making his presence known. The other lions snapped to attention and unsheathed their claws. They sensed the immense anger emanating from him, but as kings, were too proud to retreat. Instead, their faces merely showed curiosity, as did Mzingo's.

"You were banished from these lands!" the Lion King boomed as loudly as he could. "What is your purpose here?!"

Mzingo gave him a friendly smile. "I'm here only as a humble messenger, your highness. And thus protected by diplomatic immunity." He turned towards the other lions. "I do apologise, good sires, but I'm glad to have been of help."

The youngest member of the Council, Vijana was foolhardy enough to speak out: "My lord Simba, what crime HAS this bird committed?"

Simba was about to answer, before realising... Mzingo, the clever devil had always kept himself one foot away from all the trouble. All that he had done to cause the near breakdown of the Pride Lands... he had done simply by talking. He had never broken a single law. The only reason he was banished was because Simba had said so.. And whilst that would usually be satisfactory enough, it would raise far too many questions amongst these kings whom Mzingo had already established far too good relations with.

Finally, he settled on a neutral answer: "He placed my family in direct danger. I would not advise you to take his words to heart."

But of course, the vulture wasn't satisfied. "If that is indeed true, your Majesty, I must give my humble apologies now... I couldn't tell you what I've done that has raised your ire."

The unfairness of the whole situation came crashing down on Simba's back. Gripping the ground with his claws, he shouted: "You conspired with the hyenas to wreak devastation upon the Pride Lands!" At the last minute, Simba's mouth clamped shut, unwilling to release the final piece of information... that his own pride had been stupid enough to believe him.

"Me?" The vulture asked, apparently dumbfounded. "You sure you haven't got me mistaken with another vulture? We all look alike to you lions, don't we?"

Vijana chuckled.

"Indeed, considering that such an important asset of the council was in such grave danger, perhaps an investigation would be-?" Mzingo continued, only to be silenced by another roar of Simba's.

"ENOUGH! I will hear no more out of you. Deliver your message and leave, as is fit for a _messenger bird_." he growled and turned to the Kings. "Sires, if you will excuse us."

Mzingo and Simba walked out of the clearing. As soon as they were out of earshot, Simba turned back to the infinitely pleased vulture. "What do you _really_ want, vulture? You know that as soon as this conversation is done, I will never let you near Pride Rock again."

"Oh, I know. Truth be told for once, I am here merely to deliver my message. I just couldn't resist playing you against that group." He let out an annoying cackle. "Old habits die hard. The message is this: Your son and heir Kopa awaits you in the old canyons of the Outlands. He's very eager to meet you, but I'd wager he's more eager to meet his new kingdom and pride."

Simba gaped, the world whirling around him. "What?! What are you talking about?!"

"Why don't you go and find out?" Mzingo released his wings and took off.

* * *

"Well, that's definitely him." Kopa said, sniffing the air. "You were right. He _does_ smell like me, it's weird."

Jasiri looked at him worriedly. "Can you tell which way he went?"

Before heading back to the Kupatana Lair, Kopa and Jasiri had decided to find Kion together and for the last few hours, had been busy criss-crossing the border between the Pride Lands and the Outlands to recover his trail. During this time, Jasiri had found out a few interesting things about his friend: 1) He had never lived in a pride and hunted alone. 2) He was very protective of his mother. 3) He hated lionesses with manes.

Kopa gave a passing look at the cracked and dry landscape around them and then nodded towards a cluster of glowing lights hidden amongst broken cliffs in the east, which Jasiri recognised as her clan's territory.

"That's a hyena lair! Why would he go there?!"

Kopa shrugged. "Maybe he really _does_ have a thing for spots." He glanced towards the reddening sun. "It's going to be night soon. What do you think we should do?"

"Humph! We go and get him, duh!" Jasiri rolled her eyes. Kopa stared at the hyena.

"So let me get this straight..." he said, raising his eyebrow. "I'm following the mortal enemy of my kind into the den of other such mortal enemies, to rescue my hyena-obsessed doppelganger in heat, during the night when said hyenas will be at their least lazy... as opposed to just listening to the advice of a kindly old bird and reuniting with my long-lost family?"

Jasiri blinked. "Uh... I guess?"

"So what are we waiting for? We have an interspecies romance to save!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _It's official, guys: Kopa ships Kion and Jasiri. But as per usual, Mzingo ruins another perfectly good day._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - The downside of popularity, as Palpatine might tell you, is that you're afraid to lose it. Sorry, didn't manage to get this chapter out so soon, but it's been a VERY hectic week. I was performing for a play and I crashed every evening afterwards._

 _*zootopiafan - Both Kion and Kiara are Simba's heirs, so to speak. He meant that he'd have to announce a hyena cub as part of the line to the throne. Of course Simba's not being serious. Even he doesn't know whether lions and hyenas can have cubs(that might come up some time later for obvious reasons). Thanks for the cliffhanger compliment, I do love to end the chapter with a bit of a bang._

 _Actually, I'd love a 50 Shades Of Jasiri fanfic lol. But yeah, definitely not here. This is more about the love than the sex(if it was, they'd have been a couple since Chapter 1)._

 _*pinksakura271 - I suppose a little hyena love is in Kopa's blood too, lol. He knows little about Mzingo, so of course he'd trust the guy. He has a good act. I do wonder what Kion's reaction to his girlfriend's new buddy will be..._

 _*Kopa - Thanks dude!_

 _*Zipporah . Michel - LOL_

 _*Juria - No need to apologise, I'm just glad to have you! Thanks for reviewing!_

 _*DragoonSensei - Oh God, I'm just imagining the double dates..._

 _*Guest - Kiara does Kiara stuff off-screen, just like in the show itself. :D_

 _*The Howling Behemoth - Asante! Oh my word! I read about her in this amazing Kopa/Asante fanfic so I actually misremembered her as an OC._

 _*Moonlit Novel - Indeed? Somehow I didn't know that. I'll be more careful!_

 _*v.t.7 - It's somewhat of a cliche to write Simba and his children as being immature and adrenaline junkies, which doesn't really match up with my perception of them. The film Simba was thrill-seeking and loved to brag, but he was also kind and wanted to live up to his father more than anything else. Besides, Kopa's supposed to be older than Kion so he'd be a bit smarter._

 _1\. I'm saving that answer for later._

 _2\. I sent you a message on that one._

 _*peaceofmind1130 - Here's just a tiny little bit more!_


	22. Chapter 21

Nostalgia enveloped Jasiri as the sounds of her hyenas cheering and brawling came closer. She and Kopa were sneaking in from a tunnel above, to prevent Janja and the hyenas from catching their scent. Kopa was tense and focused, clearly a stranger in a strange land and followed Jasiri, who knew the layout probably better than the hyenas themselves, having had to hide from Janja's wrath in the various cracks and holes and tunnels on multiple unpleasant occasions.

Now, the thought of Janja didn't inspire fear, but bitterness. Anger towards him, towards Scar and most importantly, to herself for letting Janja drive her out of her clan. The hyenas had become his puppets and he was _wasting_ them.

She scowled. Jasiri couldn't risk her desire to reclaim her clan get in the way of what she here to do. It was an in-and-out mission. Find Kion and escape before the hyenas notice.

Jasiri lowered herself as close to the ground as she could and peeked out of a little opening in the rocks that hid her and Kopa from the hyenas below. She gasped. On the floor below, two dusty, grey balls of fur and claw were tearing at each other with rabid ferocity. One of them was Janja, the other was Kion, fighting without his Roar for once. Judging from their movements, it wasn't just a fight... it was a battle to the death. Both were aiming for each other's throats and were covered in scratches, but persistently continued to throw themselves at each other.

Realizing that they couldn't get Kion out without being detected, Jasiri rose to her full height and screamed from the top of her lungs: "HEY!"

Silence befall the cavernous area as all the hyenas and the fighters below turned their heads towards her and Kopa.

Kion clambered off of Janja. "Jasiri?"

Jasiri smiled. "Hey." She said again, this time more quietly and only to the lion. She and Kopa quickly went down the natural steps built into the cliff and met Kion below.

"Oh come on!" Janja rolled his eyes and got up on his four feet. "I was just about to finish him off!"

"I'm sure you'll get him next time." Kopa joked and walked over to him as Kion and Jasiri nuzzled.

Janja raised his eyebrow. "You really think so?"

Kopa patted him compassionately.

Although she became more than comfortable hugging Kion, Jasiri did want a few answers and pushed back. "Why'd you come here? What's this all about, this fight between you and Janja?"

Kion lowered his head. "It helps with the... the heat. It's like another sort of thrill, maybe not as good, but enough to keep me level. I figured that if I had to hunt someone for a good reason, it'd be Janja."

Kopa cocked his head to the side, overhearing. "The heat? You got the heat?"

"Yeah." Kion looked even further down.

"You don't know the cure?"

Kion finally looked the older lion in the eyes. "Cure?"

"Cure?" Jasiri asked, shocked.

"Cure?" Janja repeated, causing everyone to look at him. "What? It's not like we've got many options here for females!"  
This sent a wave of murmurs through the hyenas. "That's true..." "Yeah..." "Well, we do have each other OW!..."

Jasiri rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up." She turned back to Kion, smiling. "We don't need a cure."

"We don't?" Kion widened his eyes.

The hyena responded by kissing him straight on the lips. As she did so, Kion looked around, trying to comprehend what was going. Kopa gave him a thumbs up. Janja hid his face in his paws.

Calming, the lion gently rested Jasiri's face on his paw and closed his eyes too.

"So... boss, should we kill them all or what?" Cheezi asked.

Keeping his eyes firmly shut, Janja waved his paw up and down. "Just tell 'em to go already."

Kopa cleared his throat and tapped Kion and Jasiri on the shoulders. "Um... get a cave?"

* * *

Having delivered Kion and Jasiri to a safe, isolated grassy field for their midnight fun, Kopa bid the couple farewell, eager to find himself a place to sleep before heading onto Pride Rock. As he walked uphill, he came across the lioness, who was looking down at Kion and Jasiri talking.

"Ah, hello." The lioness said and turned her head. "I'm afraid I don't know you."

"The name's Kopa. And now's your chance." Kopa replied, giving a friendly smile.

The lioness shook hers. "I'm afraid I can't, I've got to talk to my son and-ooh!" Kopa pushed the lioness away as she was starting to head downhill.

"Nope." He said. "No, no, no, not happening, not now, please let's go!"

"But I've simply got to!" She insisted.

"We're already going, look, this is us, walking far, FAR away. Thank you very much. Why don't you show me around the place? I'm sure you can catch them later."

Nala looked at him, confused. "But they could be in trouble!"

"Look, lady, this is the reason lying exists, so with that in mind, LET'S GO!"

* * *

"You really want to mate with me?" Kion asked, almost sounding scared. He kept his instinctual urges in check for the moment by clawing at the ground.

"Yes." Jasiri said without hesitating. "But... do you want to mate with me? I mean, I'm a hyena, that's... not exactly normal."

Kion's clawing intensified. Not that he'd EVER admit it, but he found the idea of mating with a hyena, _the enemy_ , more kinky than anything else.

Nevertheless... "I can't. I'm not myself right now, I don't... I don't want to use you."

Jasiri gave one of her great laughs. "I think you're more yourself than you've ever been, Kion. The animal in you is coming out. Why don't you let it?"

Kion stared at her and gulped. She was right there... and he was right here. And truth be told, she was right. Kion did want her. And he didn't just want a mate, he wanted _Jasiri_. He'd never enjoyed anyone's company as much as he did hers. Yeah, she wasn't perfect, but that just made her even better. She was so clever, had a heart bigger than anyone's and never failed to make him smile. When he had asked Fuli to mate with him, he wanted her for purely physical reasons. But this was someone he wanted to share his soul with.

Tentatively, he stepped closer to her, tongue extended... and tripped. The only thing Kion was licked was dirt.

"HAHAHAHA!" Jasiri laughed. "That's a good start!"

Growling, Kion pushed her on her back. "Pinned ya!" With surprising restraint, he licked just the tip of her nose. It was still enough to mark her, however. Jasiri giggled and licked at his eyelid in return.

* * *

Simba groaned as he stepped on another sharp rock. He'd spent the last few hours following Mzingo the vulture through the canyon. It seemed like the blasted bird had a habit for choosing the most awful, narrow roads to lead him through. Fortunately, Simba had had the foresight to keep Zazu on his tail(rather ironically, he thought, as he'd spent his entire childhood trying to get away from the majordomo) and a few lionesses following him. No hyena ambush would be a major threat to him. And at least these critter holes wouldn't have a stampede running through them.

Looking up to the sky, Simba noticed with alarm that the vulture had vanished. Of-bloody-course. There _was_ a small cave at the end of the road, but it was clearly empty. Squeezing into a small clearing that led into a dark, damp cave, Simba saw there was nothing there, but a perfectly round hole covered in markings. He looked down, but even with his superior feline eyes, saw nothing, but darkness. Absent-mindedly he tossed a rock in.

The rock fell for longer than he could ever have imagined, into the depths of the Earth. And when it finally landed, breaking into pieces, an eye opened next to it. The Beast awoke.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _It's 5 AM, I had wine and I watched The Spy Who Loved Me. That is all._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - You got it, boss!_

* _Juria - I think I've really hit a sweet spot with how to write for him now(I haven't read the books he's in, so his personality is entirely based on my own imagination and other fanfics I've read). :D_

 _*DragoonSensei - Truer words have never been spoken._

 _*pinksakura271 - Can't wait for your thoughts on THIS chapter, hehehe..._

 _*The Howling Behemoth - The fanfic is called "The Lioness Queen II". It's one of my favourite love stories in all the Lion Kingdom. It was a huge influence on me and by extension, this story. I highly recommend it._


	23. Chapter 22

As the dawn slowly spread across the sky and wiped away the last of the inky night, Kion yawned and blinked. The field was wet and cold from morning dew and he was a bit dizzy from having slept outside a cave. Despite these irritating conditions, Kion was both warm and happy... a hyena rested over his chest, softly snoring with her eyes closed. Kion had found his mate and with the cycle complete, he felt whole again. No, he felt better than before. _Much_ better.

 _Okay, now what?_ he found himself thinking as he stared at the sky. _Do I wake her up or...?_

Kion looked around, but the grass blocked his view. He was stuck with the clouds. As soon as he began cloudgazing, he realized something was out of place. He wasn't used to relaxing these days, so it felt like he was wasting precious time. What if the Guard needed him? How was he going to explain this to the Guard anyway, not to mention his parents? How long had he been gone anyway? A day? Two days? A week? His most recent memories were enveloped in red-tinted fog.

Jasiri suddenly breathed in sharply, causing Kion's eyes to dart over to her, but she relaxed and mumbled something in her sleep. _Wait, if we... can she get...does that even work?_

Kion sighed. _Okay, okay... uh, hey dad, the good news is, I'm back to normal! The bad news is... I, uh... found someone unusual to mate with. Is there a problem with that...?_

Suddenly, as if they'd been aware all along, Jasiri's eyes opened wide, staring right into Kion's above her.  
"Feeling better?" She winked.

Kion laughed nervously. "Yeah. We should probably get up now."

"Why?" she asked, as if it was the strangest thing she'd heard.

Kion looked around again. "The others might be looking for us."

Jasiri rolled her eyes and snuggled even further into Kion. "Let them. I'm tired of being responsible."

"You sure you want to say that out loud? Maybe we'll get exiled. We're not exactly conspicuous."

Jasiri got close to Kion's ear. "Four magic words, Kion: Nobody has to know. Unless Kopa told them the truth, we'll just pretend that his cure worked." She could just imagine it: the two of them sneaking off into the night for fun, catching every lonely minute for themselves. The hyena felt a pre-emptive thrill go through her body. She gnawed on his ear gently, inadvertently making him giggle.

"And if he did?"

"Then your dad would've already dragged us back to Pride Rock. Now hush." She climbed on top of him.

Kion raised his eyebrow. "Uh, Jasiri?"

"What? Nobody said the cure worked today. Come on, Kion! Lots of mischief to be done, as my brother loves to say." Jasiri gave his neck a lick.

"Don't bring your brother into this."

* * *

Kopa did his best to not yawn as the King, who was also secretly his father, analysed him alongside Nala. When he'd convinced the Queen to take him to Pride Rock, Simba had been too tired from some kind of vague political mumbo-jumbo to see him. To his great dismay however, the King requested his presence at first light. Kopa hated being woken up early, especially by that snappy blue bird who served as the majordomo.

To be blunt, Simba was both exactly what Kion had expected... and not. He knew the lion had become a King since the events that led to his birth and as such, was meant to be a dignified, royal figure, which he was. But Tama had also told him stories of the impatient, foolhardy young lion who was always just like Kopa when he was his age blah blah blah. He couldn't imagine the older lion pulling a prank or diving into the water for fun. Though he couldn't imagine anyone really doing that.

Finally, Simba spoke: "Tama is away on an assignment right now. But until she returns, I'm afraid I cannot trust you to sleep in the den." He frowned. "She never told us she had a son."

"Yep. Sounds like mom." Kopa smiled. "She's always been very keen not to let potential enemies know a tactical advantage."

Simba chuckled and his demeanour became warmer. "Don't I know it."

 _I'm sure you do, dad._ Kopa thought.

"However, until we've confirmed your identity, Zazu can take you to a number of hospitable dens around the area." Nala added. "We do have housing for guests."

Kopa bowed before the rulers. "Thank you both. I look forward to my mother's return." As he turned around and walked out of the cave, Simba frowned again.

"What's wrong?" Nala asked and nuzzled him gently on the cheek. "You look upset."

"Hm?" Simba turned to face her. "Nothing! Nothing, I, uh... I'm just concerned about Mzingo." He hurriedly said. "The place he took me to was nothing like Kopa described. What did he mean, sending me on a wild goose chase like that? And there weren't even any."

Nala bit her lip. "We should look into that. Mzingo has a reason behind everything. Perhaps we should send the Kupatana Guard to comb the canyons, see if they can find anything?"

Simba deadpanned. "If there's anyone who isn't busy with adolescent melodrama." He sighed, feeling a headache coming along. "The Kings bother me too. Without Jasiri as clear evidence of our handling of the situation, they're not going to wait much longer before piling onto us with excuse after excuse. And if one excuse is good enough, I HAVE to let them in. And then they'll grab control and tear the Pride Lands into pieces. Kings just aren't what they used to be."

The Queen gently cupped Simba's face. "You make up for all of them, dear." Simba rested his head onto hers. "I think it's more the other way around." he replied, before moving away from her, remembering something.

"Where's Kiara?"

* * *

A huge paw, much larger than the average lion's clawed into the rock wall. Then another above it. Again the first one. And then the second. The Beast clinged onto the side of the tunnel, his eyes firmly focused on the small glimmmer of light far above him. It was all that mattered. His task was his life and he was going to fulfil it no matter what. Animals who got in the way will be crushed under his feet. No storm, no fire, no flood would bother him.

He was the Beast and he was going to _kill Simba._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? But the hiatus is over, everything's a-okay now and unless something goes horribly wrong(not to jinx it or anything), the chapters will continue to come out weekly, as I originally planned._

 _But whilst I was sipping cola in my summer house and plotting the next big arc for the series, I decided to give a little bit of a reward to the fans who've been following this story and waiting so patiently. Thus, two announcements._

 _1) In December, I will be terribly busy. Not just in real life, but also because I want to work extra hard to provide a real Christmas treat to you all on the 25th. Until then, however, there will be something else to pass the time, which leads me to..._

 _2) **A CONTEST FOR THE FANS.** One of the most frequent things you like to do is suggest places to take the story towards, or even alternative stories altogether for me to write. This is your chance. Starting from today and up to the 1st of September, you'll have time to come up with a story prompt, which I will then write into a single chapter that will be released in December. These chapters will not be canonical, but they will be your ideas about this story, put to the page. So here are the rules._

 _YOU NEED TO HAVE A FANFICTION ACCOUNT. \- This is simply to prevent cheating. But getting one isn't hard at all and costs you nothing.  
_

 _THE PROMPT IS ONE SENTENCE LONG._ _\- Just make it as concise as possible._

 _ONE PROMPT EQUALS ONE CHAPTER. \- We'll get back to this down below._

 _DON'T WORRY ABOUT CHAPTER LENGTH._ _\- I will write exactly how much fits, with a minimum of 1000 words._

 _EVERY PROMPT WILL BE USED._ _\- If you send me the prompt, it WILL be written so make sure you know what you're sending._

 _SEND THE PROMPT VIA PM_ _\- This is just to make things simpler._

 ** _At the turn of the year, I will randomly pick out the name of one of the people who sent a prompt and he/she will win a 10-part spin-off story._**

* * *

 _Now then, onto the reviews..._

 _*M.C. Leto - Thanks for the praise! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the others!_

 _*God of the Challenge - Man, ain't that the truth._

 _*Juria - Not to mention Simba and Nala..._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - I suppose I project a little bit of myself onto Kion. NOT THAT I HAVE A HYENA FETISH. I DO NOT HAVE A HYENA FETISH._

 _*v.t.7 (Chapter 21) - I have a lot of fondness for Kopa from the pre-LG days, so I'm glad you said I did good on his character!_

 _*v.t.7 (Chapter 22) - Don't you mean the Queen cheetah? :D_

 _*Kion the Lion - There is no way in Heaven or Earth that Jasiri and Kion would mate anywhere NEAR where Bunga could appear in._

 _*DragoonSensei - Yeah, the lemon stuff is really not my territory. If it was, Kion and Jasiri would've been at it since chapter 1._

 _*pinksakura271 - If you look back a few chapters, when Kion introduces Jasiri to the then-Lion Guard's lair, she also pins him down._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Love. And a lot of bite marks._

 _*zootopiafan (Chapter 21) - Don't worry, Kopa has nothing to do with the throne._

 _*zootopiafan (Chapter 22) - As I mentioned, Mzingo's survival will be mentioned in a future chapter when he appears. Also, don't even go there with Kopa's cure._

 _*Anonymous13 B (Chapter 20) - Awesome to hear from you! I always try to move forwards with all the characters at the same time. The interactions keep the story interesting for me._

 _*Anonymous13 B (Chapter 21) - I felt like establishing Pride Rock and the whole community a little bit more. In the show, they're very much wallpaper, with the focus being purely on the Guard, which I find a bit lacking._

 _*Anonymous13 B(Chapter 22) - Parent-child reunion? Are you sure? :)_

 _*Dragonfan - First of all, never apologise for a long review. I like them long and detailed, for the feedback! Now, onto your questions. 1. Well, you have an oppurtunity with the prompt contest... 2. Ditto. 3. Not exactly, but you're not far off either. 4. A little bit of both. 5. You're not the first person to suggest that. 6. At some point, sure. 7. Yes and probably. 8. As I said: prompt contest. 9. That's an honest mistake on my part, I misremembered how Mzingo was like in the show. However, you're quite right about the hyenas. 10. The second film will eventually tie into the events of this story. However, as far as the actual canon goes, I do believe the Guard was no longer there. I think Zira killed Kion, like we thought she did with Kopa and the Guard disbanded after that for the next one to be formed once the new lion with the Roar is found. Thanks a lot for the great review too!_


	24. Chapter 23

As he left the cave, Kopa found himself the person of interest in the pride. As he casually walked away from the cave entrance to have a drink at the waterhole, the younger lionesses let their eyes rest on his fit form, whilst the older ones also glanced at him out of lazy curiosity. Seeking to make a positive impact at what he hoped was going to be his new home, Kopa winked at his admirers. Unlike his... interesting... brother, he had no desire for a longterm mate just yet. Still, it didn't hurt to take a look at the fish in the pond, did it?

Speaking of ponds, Kopa felt very thirsty after his meeting with royalty and headed straight for the water, only to bump into a hedgehog. "Ow!" Kopa cried out in pain as the needles and the hedgehog himself sticked into his paw.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" the hedgehog squealed with an almost comically thin voice. "Could you put me down, please?"

"Ahh... sure." Kopa said and made sure not to hurt the creature as he pulled him out. Red dots of blood soon appeared on Kopa's paw, to the hedgehog's discomfort.

"I'll get some leaves for your paw if you want!" he said, looking worriedly at Kopa. "It's my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going."

Kopa shook his head. "I'm bigger, it's my fault. I wasn't looking either. Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine."

"Yeah, but you can be _better_ than fine!" the hedgehog exclaimed. "What's your name? I'm Harry!"

"Hi, Harry. I'm Kopa. And seriously, I'm fine. I'll survive. Do you live around here?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't exactly get around with feet that size."

Suddenly, a jaunty voice called out: "Oh, I can change that!" Before Kopa could react, a frivolous honey badger appeared on the screen, crunched Harry into a ball without apparently hurting his hands and tossed him into the water.

"Now that's what I call a dunk." the badger smugly said to Kopa.

"Bunga!" An irritated cheetah appeared from behind the trees, with a friendly-looking hippopotamus that a lone cattle egret rested on. "What are you doing?! He could drown!"

The cattle egret interjected before Bunga could reply: "Actually, hedgehogs are quite effective swimmers."

"Yes we are..." Harry said as he clambered out of the water. "But that doesn't make us basketballs."

The cheetah looked at Kopa with a mixture of confusion and interest. "Um, hi, are you a visitor in the Pride Lands? Sorry about the badger."

"Hey!"  
"Hush." the cheetah firmly said.

"Actually..." Kopa smiled politely. "I'm hoping to be something a bit more longterm than that. You must be the famous Kupatana Guard."

The cheetah chuckled. "Well, almost. I'm Fuli, the fastest in the Pride Lands. That's Beshte, he's the strongest. Ono's the keenest of sight. The bundle of joy over there..." she pointed at the badger who quickly did a heroic pose, knocking Harry into the water again. "... is Bunga. He's the weirdest. There's two other members..."

"Let me guess: they're rather busy with their own affairs right now?" Kopa grinned, savoring the moment.

"Uh... yeah." Fuli was confused.

"Well, as I was saying to my spiky friend over here..." he let Harry out of the water again and placed him on his back so Bunga couldn't get to him. "... I'm Kopa. My mother's a member of Simba's pride. I'm here to see her and maybe stick around."

"That's nice. We don't get many males around here. They all want to start their own prides."

"Yeah!" Beshte added in. "Remember Tojo's? That was a disaster."

Ono shuddered. "Oh, don't even talk about it. I'm still picking the acorns out of my nest."

"In _any_ case... if you need a friend to talk to, I'm all ears." said Fuli.

"What if _I_ need a friend to talk to?" Bunga complained.

Ono had an idea. "Have you tried talking to yourself?"

"Talking to myself?" Bunga wondered. "Zuka zama!" he leaped into the air. "I gotta go find me!" The honey badger ran off, with Ono taking off after him to explain.

Kopa smiled at Fuli. "I'll remember that."

"Also, tell me when we go hunting!" she added. "We can go together? I mean, I usually hunt alone..."

* * *

Kion gripped onto the earth, trying to drag his worn-out body away from Jasiri. That female was CRAZY. He loved her, but he was also extremely tired of making love to her. _Which one of us has the heat again?_ he wondered.

"So, whaddaya wanna do next?" she asked chirpily, not the slightest bit exhausted. "I wonder if we could jazz it up by making someone watch..."

"Jasiri!"

Jasiri blinked. "... buuuuut I'm going off topic?"

"Yes."

Kion rolled his eyes as Jasiri nuzzled him one more time before they finally got up and started heading in the direction of Pride Rock. They'd mated all over the Pride Lands today, just for the sake of it. Fortunately, nobody had directly caught them and those who did see them thought nothing of it, as their status as Guard members was well known.

Soon enough, they separated as Jasiri returned to the Kupatana Guard lair whilst Kion had to go back to his family. He wasn't looking forward to what would doubtlessly be a whole night of Q and A.

As he closed in however, he noticed someone hiding in the bushes. "Hello? Is somebody there?"

"Kion?"

"Kopa?"

Kopa crawled out, with a hedgehog asleep on his back. "Is she gone? Your Guard, are they still around?"

"Uh... I haven't seen them all day."

The older lion wrinkled his nose. "I can smell that. Or rather, _her_. I think there's more hyena than lion in you right now."

" _What_?!" Kion had grown so used to Jasiri's scent that he hadn't noticed at all. He dashed towards the nearest pool and jumped into the water, splashing around.

Kopa gave him a bemused smile as he came out looking like a wet rag. "So why are you hiding?" Kion asked, as he shook the water off of himself.

"It's about that cheetah, Fuli. I think she's coming onto me."

"I didn't know she was into lions."

Kopa looked grumpy. "I didn't know hyenas were into lions either! Your pride is weird!"

"Yeah, well, speaking of weird, why do you have a hedgehog sleeping on your back?" Kion asked.

"Huh?" Kopa looked behind his back. "Oh. We, uh, became friends and I guess he fell asleep. How do I take him off anyway? He's a hedgehog."

Kion shrugged. "Are you coming to Pride Rock?" he said.

"No, your dad said something about waiting until my mom confirms who I am. I'm gonna go to one of the nearby dens. I just hope Fuli's not in cahoots with the majordodo. See ya around... my lord."

Kion swatted at him. "Don't do that. See ya around too."

* * *

The lion prince drew in a breath as he entered his homely den again. Though he knew he had to confront his parents, it was nice knowing that the bigger trouble was over. He'd take whatever his parents will throw at him and then he and Jasiri could be together... secretly. No more Mzingo, no arguments with the Guard. Things will finally get back on track.

Inside the den, he approached his mother and father, who were having a discussion at the royal ridge. Nala noticed him first. "Kion!" she said non-chalantly, as if he'd only gone out to play for a few hours. "You're back."

"Were you worried about me?" The cub asked.

Simba cut to the chase: "Of course we were. Now answer me honestly, Kion, because this is important... who did you choose to be your mate?"

* * *

 _Yes!_ the Beast thought victoriously as his hand clamped over the surface. With little effort, he pulled his own huge bulk out of the hole and onto the ground. Without breaking momentum, the Beast began to run. Out of this canyon, out of the Outlands... he was attracted towards the King like a deadly magnet. Death to the enemy.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Today I'd like to give a little shout-out to two very important fanfics that inspired this piece of work. As Rafiki said in LK 3(or LK 1 and a half, depends on where you live), "a story worth telling once is a story worth telling twice". These great tales deserve to be remembered and I hope some of you will be interested in them._

 _1) "The Lioness Queen II: Nala's Pride", written by Scuta5 - Despite being a sequel to a pre-existing storyline(which I never read), much of the focus is on the love story between Kopa and Asante, a female hyena from the LK novels. It's really great, and some of Asante's characterisation definitely bled over into my idea of Jasiri. Sadly, it's got quite a tragic end, but this was the fanfic that introduced me to the idea of lion/hyena relationships, so without this, we definitely wouldn't have had "Mkuu Na Ombaomba"._

 _2) "The Prince And The Pauper", written by OutsidersUnited - This is a Kopa/Vitani story, and along with LK 2 was largely responsible for shaping my appreciation for love and my understanding of it. It's basically the classic Kopa story - he falls in love with Vitani as a kid, gets attacked by Zira and then returns as an amnesiac adult to rekindle his former relationship. They only properly get together in the very last chapters, but the journey is VERY important and very touching. To those of you who have been wondering what the title of this story means, "Mkuu Na Ombaomba" is Swahili for "The Prince And The Pauper"._

 _Now then, onto the reviews..._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Well, you have two whole months to think... I'm sure there's something you're interested in happening... but yeah, I know what you mean. The moment you get control, you lose all your great ideas. Are you a Deadpool fan? Or a samurai or something?_

 _*Carmen - I just might ship Kion and Jasiri. I just might._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - Oh, I can't wait for it to come together too... if you only knew what I had in mind mwahahahaha._

 _*zootopiafan - You can't hide anything from Nala for long, that's true... I currently have no plans to kill Kion off. You'll get your answer about Tama in the next chapter._


	25. Chapter 24

_"Hakuna matata! What a wonderful phrase!" the three friends sang together as they frolicked through the jungle. "Hakuna matata! Ain't no passing craze..."  
Simba drew in a breath and belted out his solo: "It means no worries... for the rest of your days!"_

 _"Oh yeah!" Timon and Pumbaa yelled in unison._

 _"It's our probleem-free... philosophy... Hakuna matata!" the trio finished. And by that philosophy they lived and laughed and slept every day. Whether it was in the jungle or on a crazy adventure, their sole motivation was fun and frolicking. They'd been brought together by their miserable pasts and misery loves company._

 _None of them ever thought they'd deviate from their life of adventure, until one day... the day Simba went into heat._

* * *

 _Timon was shocked into awareness from peaceful slumber when he fell off of Pumbaa's stomach and hit the ground.  
"Ohh..." he mumbled and scratched his head thankfully still full of red hair as his bleary eyes blinked from the sunlight. Something was missing here... some kind of a... yellow cushion... some kind of a... lion. Since he and Pumbaa had adopted Simba, and the latter had grown up, he'd filled up the whole nest so that if Timon did roll off his round friend's belly, he'd always land on his... other friend's belly._

 _"Simba?" he called out. "SIMBA?! What has that toothy, claw-y furball gotten himself into this time?" Looking around, he noticed something peculiar. The area looked like it had been raked over, with lines cutting into trees and the ground surrounding them. Those were Simba's claw marks... and they were_ _everywhere._

 _He tapped the brown warthog's shoulder. "Pumbaa! Wake up!"_

 _"Honey badger!" Pumbaa yelped before his eyes opened._

 _Timon looked perplexed. "What?"_

 _"What?" The warthog repeated._

 _"What honey badger?" Timon asked._

 _"Why'd you wake me up?"_

 _Timon got angry. "Hey, who's asking questions around here?"_

 _"We both are?"_

 _The meerkat began to fume and threw his hands in the air. "Just tell me what the deal is with the honey badger and I'll tell you why I woke you up."_

 _Pumbaa crawled out of the nest, onto his four spindly legs. "Well, I just... I say, Timon! Look at these claw marks!" He walked past Timon, who was gritting his teeth and fisting his palms at this point. "Who made those?"_

 _"WHAT ABOUT THE HONEY BADGER?!" he yelled, losing his cool._

 _"Hm?" Pumbaa turned around. "Oh, right. I saw a honey badger in my dream."_

 _"You saw a honey badger in your dream?"_

 _"I saw a honey badger in my dream!"_

 _"You saw a honey badger in your dream?"_

 _"Yes, Timon, I think we've established that." Pumbaa said, raising his eyebrow._

 _Timon's foul mood kept building. "Was it a robo-honey badger? Was it a honey badger with a bazooka?! A honey badger made of HONEY?!"_

 _"Nope!" Pumbaa emphatically shook his head. "Just a regular old, happy-go-lucky honey badger."_

 _"And that inspired you to yelp out the words 'honey badger' when you woke up, in such a clandestine manner so as to invoke my curiosity?" The stripy meerkat growled, his voice dripping with sarcasm._

 _"If that means what I think it means."_

 _As Timon's face went red with frustration, Pumbaa sought to calm him down. "Maybe it's a sign. Maybe next time, we'll adopt a honey badger!"_

 _Timon rolled his large eyes. "Next time?" He said in a whining tone. "What are we, the babysitters of the animal kingdom? That'll be the day!"_

 _"So why_ DID _you wake me up, Timon?" Pumbaa asked._ _  
_

 _Timon waved his hand around, gesturing towards the ruined trees surrounding them. "How many people do we know with razor-sharp claws and an attitude?"_

 _"Freddy Krueger?" Pumbaa pondered._

 _"Besides him."_

 _"Well, it can't be Simba." The warthog protested. "Why would he slash everything up?"_

 _Timon shrugged: "Maybe he got stuck in the closet and was really mad about it when he came out." He checked inside the nearest hollow tree. "Okay, so he hasn't gone down the rainbow-brick road yet."_

* * *

 _The duo finally found Simba when they went down the hill for their morning bath._

 _"Morning, Simba!" Timon casually yelled. "How's the pond?"_

 _"Not cold enough." Simba deadpanned in response, who was in the water up to his neck. His eyes were reddened and his tuft, albeit flattened by the water, had noticeably increased in size. He looked slightly rabid._

 _Pumbaa trotted towards the waterhole. "Are you okay? Timon and I got worried when we saw what you did at the nest."_

 _"Just relieving tension." The lion snapped._

 _With a carefree smile, Timon leaped off of Pumbaa's back and dived headfirst into the pond, blowing out a small stream of water as he emerged. "Must'a been some tension! What's the matter, got a bad bug? Hangnail? Hyena? Dumped by a girl?"_

 _Simba laughed bitterly. "I wish."_

 _"Well then, what's the problem? Don't you dare go against our motto now, sonny-boy!" Timon jokingly teased. The warthog was a little more direct, and tried to reason with Simba: "If something's wrong, you should tell us! After all, we're your friends!"_

 _Simba gritted his teeth. "It's complicated."_

 _"Pfft!" said Timon. "Making toast is complicated. This is just you being a mopey scaredy-cat, who's too 'private' to ask for his friends' help."_  
 _"Timon..." Pumbaa warned him, as Simba began to growl._

 _The meerkat brushed him off. "Reverse psychology, it works every time."_  
 _Simba swatted at Timon so hard that he flew out of the pool and into the tree above, getting tangled in the vines. Within seconds, the lion jumped out of the pool and ran off._

 _Timon had a limp smile on his face, as he hung upside down with stars drifting around his eyes. "Is this real life? Or is it just fantasy?"_

* * *

 _Unable to find Simba on their own, Timon and Pumbaa eventually decided to turn to a lonely, young vulture(who'd made a nest in the jungle) for help._

 _"Yo, Mzingo!" Timon called out to the sleeping bird. "Rise and shine! We got a job for you!"_

 _Mzingo didn't immediately open his eyes. "I'm not open for employment." he said with derision. "Go away."_

 _Timon tried to tempt him. "Come on now, birdy-birdy-bird! It's something brainy, just the way you like it!"_

 _"Another word out of you and I'll take that literally. Well, I would if you had any." Mzingo calmly said. Unbeknowest to the pair though, his threats were empty as he still needed Timon and Pumbaa alive. They were friends of the boy-King Simba and he was counting on getting on his better side when the time came for the lion to retake Pride Rock. If only he'd known Scar's ambitions! Tricking that miserable coyote into accepting the vultures' help and putting them in a position of power would've been frustratingly easy, and would've earned him the respect of the elder vultures, maybe even a position in the Parliament! Now his best bet was to rely on the less unbalanced, but dangerously heroic heir.  
_ _Once he woke the thirst for power in Simba, however, things would change... and he could easily get rid of the two nuisances. They deserved it too, for interfering when he'd found the young cub near-death in the desert and called on his fellow vultures to save him and move him somewhere under their control. Only a minor delay, though._

 _"Please?" The ugly, stinking warthog now began to plead. Pathetic. "It's about our friend Simba! We really need your help."_

 _Mzingo opened his eyes. "On second thought..." He flapped his wings and joined the duo down below. "I do feel like I should at least exercise my intelligence today." he lied. "For a price."_

 _"Don't even think about it!" Timon snarled. "This fella's just here to rip us off. Admit it!"_

 _Pumbaa put his hoof ahead of the meerkat's. "But we can't find Simba on our own, Timon, much less figure out what's wrong with him! Surely we could pay a_

little _bit..."_

 _Timon groaned. "It's on you, Pumbaa. Alright, ya big thief, whaddaya want?!"_

 _"A favour." The vulture smiled. He doubted that he'd ever need the help of these two dolts, but it never hurt to have one or more cards up his feathers._

 _"Ohh... I don't like where this is going." Timon bemoaned, palming his face._

 _Pumbaa reprimanded him: "Don't be like that, Timon! Mzingo'll help us find Simba, won't you, Mzingo?"_

 _"A favour for a favour_ _is_ _the fairest trade." the vulture quipped._

* * *

 _With Mzingo's eyes and ears, it only took them a few hours to find Simba, who was hiding inside a cave abandoned by the terrified previous occupants._

 _Carefully, the trio edged closer to the entrance. "Okay, Mzingo." Timon whispered. "Just go in there and do your thing, 'kay? We're right behind you."_

 _"Yes, and I'm sure you'll risk your lives for me, should he go rabid." Mzingo rolled his eyes and drew in a breath before entering the cave. Simba immediately began to growl and the vulture had to fight the urge to flee. Vultures were not naturally brave creatures, but Mzingo kept from moving by reminding himself of the importance this encounter to his people. He took a good look at the lion, although the latter was hard to see in the darkness._

 _"I'm not dead or dying!" Simba barked at the bird, expecting him to be solely interested in food._

 _"Obviously." Mzingo replied in a cool tone. "My name is Mzingo. I'm here to..."_

 _Simba interjected. "You're here to taste my claws unless you GET OUT!" he screamed the final words, and Mzingo took the hint. Back outside, he was forced to face the humiliating, smug smile on Timon's face._

 _"So..." the meerkat started. "What's wrong with him?"_

 _"Bad parenting, I should think." Mzingo quipped. "But I did get my answer. Red-Eyes."_

 _Timon made circles with his finger in the air. "Which is...?"_

 _"He's looking for a mate, you imbecilic muttonhead."_

 _"A mate?!" Timon exclaimed. "What does he need a mate for?! He's got us."_

 _Mzingo glared at him. "Just go south of the jungle, through the desert until you come across a mountain. There's a pride there. Get a willing lioness, come back, problem solved. Call me if you need anything." Flapping his wings, Mzingo took off to the skies._

 _As thick as they were, he knew the duo would do what he had told them to help Simba... and probably claim credit for it as well, but no matter. The pride he had told them about was the Hasira Pride, a violent, self-interested group. Due to their aggressive nature, they were always short on numbers, and would probably claim any lion even half-willing to mate with one of them, just for the chance to grow more cubs up as future fighters. Mzingo imagined they would whip Simba into shape, not to mention support him whole-heartedly when they find out he's the heir to Pride Rock. It would be a prize beyond measure for them._

 _And would they refuse the help of a few vultures just trying to help out in exchange for food? No. No, they wouldn't._

* * *

Simba sighed as his son left the cave, and dragged his paw over his face. Nala wrapped her arm around Simba, relaxing him. "He'll change his mind. You know what it's like in the early days."

"I'm sure he and his sister have a lot to talk about when she returns."

Suddenly, someone cleared her throat.

"Tama!" Simba called, and let go of Nala. He approached the new lioness. "You're back quick."

Tama was Nala's second-in-command and apparently, Kopa's mother. She had a very scruffy look, with tufts of fur poking out from all over her pale body, and orange eyes, just like Kopa.

"Zazu told me my son had returned. Is it true, your Majesty?" Tama enquired.

"It is now. Up until this point we didn't even know you had a son."

Nala tilted her head. "Why didn't you ever say anything, Tama? Is it from that pride you were in during Scar's era...?

"Hasira pride. And yes." Tama's eyes met with Simba's. "I had a little one-off in the jungle..."

"Which resulted in a son." Simba finished, his mouth turning firm. "That you never told us about."

Tama looked away from his piercing stare. "Yes, your Majesty."

The Queen didn't appear to notice the tension in the air. "Well, I guess some long overdue congratulations are in order! Is the father still around somewhere?"

"Yes, your Majesty... but I'd rather still not discuss it. With your permission, I'd like to go see my son."

Simba simply stared at her.

"Simba?" Nala asked, confused.

"Yeah. Go." Simba said. "Tell Kopa that I'm happy to have him here."

"I think he knows." With the dark cloud having passed, Tama allowed herself a smile and left the cave to go find Kopa.

Simba turned back to his mate. "Seems like that's it for today."

"How odd that she didn't tell us anything." Nala had known Tama since cubhood, when they used to tease the young prince together, and although she'd left when Scar was King, they had quickly re-bonded after Simba took over the kingdom. Nala trusted her enough to make her the second leader of the huntresses.

The King shrugged, looking slightly skittish for some reason. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Simba's head and he tackled his mate. "Pinned ya!"

"Simba!" Nala yelped, taken completely off guard. "You haven't done that in years!"

Simba gave her a devilish grin. "That's what it took to finally... oof!" In his confidence, Simba had forgotten exactly _why_ it had taken so long... with her hind legs, Nala pushed him off and trapped him under her paws.

"You. Will. Never. Win... dear." she hissed playfully.

 _Well, I can live with it. As long as she doesn't find out about Tama and me..._ Simba thought. "I'm gonna go have a drink."

* * *

The Beast took in a long breath as he took in the majesty of Pride Rock. It was dark, and all the lions had gone to sleep. The only light came from the moon... and from the Beast's glowing, red eyes.

Silent as a soft wind, the huge, dark monstrosity approached the waterhole, pondering how best to attack without waking up the entire pride. However, some movement in the corner of his eye soon distracted him. Turning his head, he noticed one of the lions exiting the cave of Pride Rock, slowly making his way down the steps unperturbed, completely unaware of the threat.

To the Beast's great fortune, it was the King himself!

Quickly, he dashed towards the nearest boulder and hid there, waiting for Simba to approach for his drink.

* * *

Simba strolled towards the waterhole. He felt like his brain had been cooked. Though he'd physically not done a lot today, he was exhausted. How could it possibly get worse? As he lapped up the water in the pool, though, he heard a rustling sound and raised his head.

On the other side of the pool stood what could only be described as some bizarre joke of nature. It was a lion, that much was clear. But it was far larger than your ordinary one, its fur was dirty black and its mane looked tinged and unwashed. The Beast had a fixed grin on his face and chuckled lightly.

"Who are you?!" Simba demanded. "What are you doing here?!"

The Beast didn't reply. Instead, he raised his paw and extended his claws... which kept extending to ludicrous length, past the Beast's face, leaving stripy shadows running across it. Finally, he began to speak, in a coarse, weak voice that seemed unused.

"Hickory-dickory-dock... King Simba stood on a Rock. The Beast sliced once!... and down fell the dunce. Hickory... dickory... dock. Heheheh." Suddenly, the Beast made a short jump into the air... but instead of falling into the pool, he flew up like a feather and floated towards Simba with the claws extended on both of his paws, ready to rip him into shreds.

Simba ran.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _So it's been yet another month since last chapter. However, this time, I was merely concerned with getting as much flashback material out as possible in one chapter. I did plan to already introduce Tama in the past as well, but that might've taken another month to write, which would've been plainly ridiculous. But hey, at least we finally got the Beast and Simba together, and the next story arc has officially set off. This one is easily my favourite so far, and will see Kion and the entire gang go through quite a bit of hell._

 _On second note, September looms towards us so if you want your own chapter in this story, better write those prompts fast. Otherwise, I might have to call the event off. Just saying._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Deadpool's probably the only Marvel character I'm currently really interested in. I haven't seen any of their movies, and only read like one issue of The Amazing Spider-Man(which was really good, about some zombie guy made up of various miners). As for what the Beast is, well, that's for me to know and you to find out._

 _*Moonlit Novel - I'm not sure if the term "brony" really fits me, but I enjoy the series. I've seen the first season and a few episodes of the second one, but not anything further. Does your story have spoilers?_

 _*God of the Challenge - They had one hell of a night..._

 _*The Howling Behemoth - Kion's always so respectful in the show that I can't really imagine him letting loose completely, not ever. Even when he's with Jasiri, he has to check and make sure he's doing okay. But that just's another reason why she loves him. :D_

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Life is never easy..._

 _*zootopiafan - It's okay, I don't like Bunga either. As for Jasiri, well, the hyenas in the series have always been... spicy... so I'm picturing her being VERY enthusiastic when it comes to mating. You'll be happy to hear that we're gonna get some classic Guard work next chapter... I really want to get into how the Kupatana Guard functions.  
Ah, yes... I see what you mean about Harry. I'll address that in the next chapter!_

 _*Jasiri 87 - Maybe they could have cubs... maybe..._


	26. Chapter 25

Kion's roar might have been the most powerful and famous in the Pride Lands, but it wasn't actually the most important one. That would still be the King's. And right now, Simba's deep, natural battle cry reverbated through Pride Rock, waking even the sleepiest of cubs.

Whilst a few picked lionesses stayed behind to mother and protect the pride's little ones, everybody else stormed outside into the darkness and saw Simba fleeing from what they could only describe as a demon. It was a caricature brought to life, with razor-sharp claws two meters in length and glowing red eyes that spoke only of a desire to kill. And it _flew_.

"Heyvi Kabesa! ZAZU!" Kion shouted to the flustered majordomo, who'd just arrived from his nest. "WAKE UP THE GUARD! WE NEED THEM ALL NOW! EVERYBODY ELSE, GET BACK INTO THE LAIR!"

As the pride obeyed Kion's instructions, the lion prince himself ran towards himself and his father to confront the Beast. "Whoever you are," he announced to the figure flying after Simba. "You've just picked on the wrong pride! Leave! My father! Alone!" When the Beast didn't even react to him, Kion's eyes blared yellow and he summoned the power of the Great Kings to roar at the monster.

Which did little, but ruffle the Beast's mane. Kion gulped, realising that he was effectively an ordinary cub again in the face of this enemy.

"Kion!" Simba gasped, out of breath. "Get the lionesses back out here! I can't hold him off for long!"

As Simba fleed from the shadow he saw growing underneath his paws, his son ran back inside the lair and almost crashed into his mother. "Mom! Dad told me you've got to get the lionesses to help him. But be careful! That thing's not an ordinary lion. I don't think you can just kill him."

"Alright then." Nala said, her voice taking on the firm, unwavering tone of the Queen. She ran into the middle of the lair, to the pedestal where she slept with Simba and addressed the pride.

"Your King is in danger! We're not entirely sure what it is, or where it came from, but it looks like a lion and it can fly like a bat. Tama... where's Tama?" she asked, looking around. "Has anyone seen Tama?"

There was a moment of silence before somebody replied: "I think she went away somewhere with that new lion."

Nala sighed. "Alright then. Kula, you're with me..."

* * *

Within a few minutes, the Kupatana Guard, minus Bunga all arrived to find Kion brooding on the ledge of Pride Rock.

"Kion! What's all the kerbubble?!" Beshte shouted from below.

Jasiri leapt up the rocks. She couldn't comfort her secret mate in front of everyone, but hoped to help him by presence, at least. "Is the King alright?" she asked.

"No." Kion replied darkly. "He's being chased by some kind of... I don't even know what that is! Some kind of demon lion that's immune to the Roar."

Ono landed in front of the prince. "Immune to the Roar?" he quizzed. "Is that even possible?"

"I didn't think so until tonight. I've sent Zazu out with calls to every animal in the area. With the pride, they might be able to distract this monster for long enough so that my father can at least hide, but judging from what I saw of that thing, there's no obvious way to stop him. He has magic of his own." Kion desperately hoped the other animals would find some smart way to hold the monster back without getting hurt.

"Define magic." Ono asked.

The lion prince sighed. "He can fly, grow body parts... I'd imagine the magic enhances his resilience as well. He looks way bigger than a lion has any right to be."

Jasiri shook her head at Kion. "Well, if he has magic, how are we to fight him? Out of all of us, _you_ are the only one who has magic. And it didn't work!"

Fuli scowled. "Magic doesn't mean he's invincible. Anyone could take Kion out if they were sneaky enough. We've got to make up a trap for him. The bait's practically already set."

Suddenly, Kion realised that something was missing here... "Where's Bunga?"

"Zazu said he couldn't find him at Hakuna Matata Falls and he didn't have time to look." Ono reported. "I'm sure he'll find out what's going on here pretty soon though. The entirety of the Pride Lands is starting to wake up."

Kion frowned. "I hope so. In the meantime, Ono, I want you to fly over to Rafiki and ask him if he knows some kind of defensive magic that could help us.

"Affirmative!" the bird cried and flapped off into the darkness.

"Jasiri..." Kion turned to his mate, but also second-in-command. "I want you, Fuli and Beshte to set that trap plan into motion. If there's any chance of incapacitating him, we've got to do it."

"Even if it kills him?" Jasiri asked worriedly. If she'd learned anything in her days, it's that nobody's _just_ a monster.

"Even if." Kion replied. "We can't lose my father. He's too important to the kingdom."

Fuli raised her eyebrow. "What will you be doing?"

The lion prince looked at his paws. "I'll talk to my grandfather. He told me I've left behind the cub I was..." the cheetah rolled his eyes. Had Kion looked at his reflection lately? The days of that little slicked-back mane were loooong gone.

"... but I've never felt younger in my life. I still need his help."

* * *

After the Kupatana Guard left, Pride Rock became deathly quiet. The only noise came from from two small sluggish creatures trying to "sneak" up the rocks into the lair.

"I'm telling you..." Bunga said. "It's totally fine! They're all napping!" He was carrying a bag full of cockroaches. _Everyone_ was afraid of cockroaches and though Bunga hated wasting good food, it was always topped by the feeling he got after pulling off a particularly funny practical joke.

Harry protested. "Yeah, probably with one eye open. Are you sure about this?"

Bunga snorted. "Only a hedgehog could think Bunga the Badger's afraid of anything! Nothing could wake them up now. ZUKA ZAMA!" he jumped into the cave entrance, only to find the interior empty.

"Hey... where did everybody go?"  
"For the last time, I'm a porcupine!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Finally, things are starting to boil! I've been waiting to write these chapters since July. Now, onto matters that nobody cares about like the PROMPT CONTEST. Yep, it went down about as well as the KionxJasiri video(I made another one of those, by the way! Check out my channel by the same name!). So I've decided to forget about the deadline until December, when I'll actually write and publish them. Remember - this is your chance to contribute to the fanfic!_

 _Damn, I feel like a used car salesman._

 _*LionKingIsAwesome - The Beast is a little bit of both... you won't have to wait much longer to find out, though!_

 _*The Howling Behemoth - That'll come back to play as soon as the immediate situation is resolved..._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Scar is still a pile of ashes, I'm afraid._

 _*Guest - Considering that only a day has passed since they became mates, I doubt it... but hey, at least the next chapter didn't come out next month!_

 _*Juria - Not long now..._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - Someone who really hates him._

 _*Guest (Chapter 15) - I enjoyed exploring some of Kion's darker nature. The show never really does that sort of thing, so this fanfic is my chance of doing everything I wish the show was(and by that, I don't mean I want Kion to kill on the show, but you get what I mean!)._

 _*peaceofmind1130 - Thanks for the praise! Makes me really proud of this story. :D_

 _*Kion the Lion (Chapter 23) - My lips are sealed._

 _*Dragonfan - Thanks a lot for the prompts(I was getting really desperate for those, lol)! Ahh, I'm really glad to see another one of your long reviews. They're a lot of fun to go through and great feedback! Sorry to hear you've not been doing so well._

 _1\. We'll find out what exactly Kion told his parents in a future chapter._

 _2\. I'll keep my characters monogamous in this fanfic, since that's what the Lion King franchise has so far done. Plus, I'm just not comfortable writing polygamy yet._

 _3\. Mzingo is one of my favourite achievements in this fanfic. I did think of Game Of Thrones, but this version of the character is actually inspired by mr. Gold from OUAT._

 _4\. Kopa is a young adult, like Kovu from LK 2._

 _5\. The heat muddled up Kion's memories, yes. He remembers very little after Brody's death._

 _6\. Well, if Petyr has taught us anything, it's that nothing ever ends well..._

 _I'm looking forward to your next review!_


	27. Chapter 26

"You know..." Jasiri admitted. "As awful as this situation is, it sure is nice to finally be able to put our heads together on something!"

It hadn't taken them long to find the Beast. Known for his serious attitude, nobody had doubted that Zazu's announcement had been genuine and herds had stormed to help save their beloved king from the vicious monster. That meant a _lot_ of screams, especially when the Beast began slicing through those in his way.

He was quite the quandary for our mischievous pair. And Beshte. Hiding behind a huge pile of rocks, away from the carnage, the present members of the Guard had to plot a way to capture or kill the Beast before it did the same to King Simba.

"Yeah!" Fuli agreed. "About time we stopped relying on Kion's Roar anyway! We're good because we're clever!"

"We are?" Beshte asked. He knew he wasn't a big thinker.

The cheetah shrugged. "Well..."

Helping out, Jasiri put a comforting paw on Beshte's shoulder. "Don't worry, Beshte. You're clever because you're good!"

Beshte nodded. "I like that. Alright then, how do we stop this guy?" He rose to his feet and tried to peek over the rocks to see the Beast, but Fuli and Jasiri both pulled him down instantly. "Maybe I should have a look instead." Jasiri suggested and, clinging onto the rock, looked over to see the Beast exert even more impossible stunts like breathing fire. She frowned. "That 'thing' is the ultimate hunter. He can fly over you, rip you into shreds, burn you to a crisp... how do you a trap something like that?"

"Burn you to a crisp?" Fuli raised her eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like hunting to me."

"Maybe we could use water?" Beshte suggested. "I mean, if it spits fire, then water would be a good thing to use against it, right?"

Jasiri shook her head. "Good idea in theory, but we know its abilities are derived from magic, not nature."

"Beshte's idea might still have some merit." said Fuli. "Water can be used for more than just putting out fire, you know."  
"Go on." Jasiri said.

"Well, if we could get him into the canyon and have Beshte break the dam, he'd drown. At least I think he would."

Jasiri turned to Beshte. "Do you think you're up for it?"

"Sure thing, Jasiri!" he assured her. "I'll be extra careful!"

After Beshte ran off towards the dam, the hyena turned back to Fuli. "Fuli, I need you to run ahead to Simba and tell him to draw the monster there. I'll give Beshte the signal when it's time to break the dam."

"I'm already there!" Fuli proudly pronounced and flew away at lightning-speed.

* * *

By the time Jasiri made it to the edge of the canyon where the dam was, Fuli was already there.

"I got the message to Simba, he should be here in a few minutes!" she announced as Jasiri walked up to her.

Jasiri nodded. "Right then! When he does, we hide behind that tree over there and wait til they're as close to the dam as possible. Then we attack and push that... thing... down there, Beshte breaks the dam open and the water will hopefully flush him away."

"So now all we have to do is wait!" Fuli said chirpily.

"And talk..." the hyena pointed out. "you know, everybody's been wondering what's going on between you and Kopa."

Fuli squinted her eyes. " _Nothing_ is going on. All I did was offer to show him around the place, okay?"  
Jasiri chuckled. "You must've noticed he looked just like Kion... and he's single. And unemployed, so you don't have to worry about him running off to the other side of the Pride Lands to save baby rodents. "

Fuli frowned. "Kion is single too... isn't he?"

"Heheheh... of course he is! I just... thought you'd given up on that whole thing, that's all. I mean, after all the moping and crying and running off, I would've thought you'd finally realise that Kion can only belong to one female!"

"And who would that be?" Fuli demanded.

Jasiri froze. "Let's not go off topic."

* * *

Flapping his regrettably short wings as hard as he could, it still took Ono more than a few minutes to reach Rafiki's huge tree. "Rafiki!" he started yelling and flying around in circles inside the tree branches. "RAFIKI! ARE YOU HERE!? WE NEED YOUR HELP! RAFIKIII-ugh!" he crashed into Rafiki's stick, which popped out of nowhere.

"Are we calm now?" Rafiki shouted from the branch he was sitting on, down below to where Ono had fallen.

"Ow."

Rafiki leaped down to the natural floor between the tree trunk and branches. "Never panic, little Ono. Panicking... leads to getting hit with sticks!" He laughed.

"I'll try to remember that." Ono mumbled, and with the monkey's help, got up again with a calmer attitude. "But we really do need your help. The King's in trouble, and Kion thought you might know something about the lion that attacked him."

Rafiki stroked his chin. "Describe dis lion to me."

"Well, I haven't seen him." Ono pointed out. "But according to Kion, he can alter any part of his body willingly... I think Kion said he could fly as well. But the most important thing is, the Roar doesn't work on him. Do you know anything we could use in its stead?"

Rafiki's face fell into complete shock, so much so that it shocked Ono as well. The baboon had never really been bothered much by anything as far as he could recall.

"Rafiki? Are you alright? What is it?!" he said.

The baboon ran over to some of his older paintings, which depicted what Ono presumed was the monster Kion was talking about. A huge black beast with oversized claws.  
"'Tis impossible..." he mumbled.

"Rafiki?"

Rafiki kneeled down in front of Ono to get closer to him. "Long ago, when I was just bigger than you, my papa told me a story about de Beasts of Uchawi... it took place long ago, at the beginning of memory, when magic was everywhere, and all animals could do wondrous tricks with dem. But... animals are animals and so... " he sighed... "magic was also used for unkind purposes. A warring pride, used magic to create dese warriors... lions who could not die, and would stop at nothing to kill der enemy. Soon, the warring pride ruled over everything the light touched, but they had made their warriors too great, and couldn't disperse them once their job was done. Left without enemies, de Beasts turned against der own masters. When de lionesses were hunting, and de cubs were playing... slash, slash, slash! They cut through all de lions of the pride, up until de King and his family.  
Until one little cub, not de heir, not someone special, just a little cub... but with more bravery in his heart than most... stood between de demons and his family and roared his little roar. 'Twas just a little cub's roar, but so strong in love dat it became magic of its own and sent all dese creations of hate and war to de bottom of de Earth."

"You mean... the Roar... Kion's Roar... defeated them? But that didn't work!" Ono pointed out.

Rafiki shook his head. "De little cub's Roar didn't defeat dem at all! It crumbled de Earth underneath their feet. De little cub used his wits, and Kion must do de same, and even better. Those Beasts will not be tricked like dis twice. Tell Kion dis."

"Alright..." Ono replied and began to head off, before turning back to the baboon one more time. "but Rafiki... who could possibly have digged up one of those creatures?"

"Either de fool among fools, or de villain among villains."

* * *

With all of the lions mysteriously gone, and Harry being such a spoilsport, Bunga decided to take advantage of the situation and check out the view from the very top of Pride Rock, a place usually reserved for the royalty alone.

He'd always been a little ball of energy, so the long climb didn't bother him and very quickly, he found himself on the final steps. Eagerly, he poked his head up the final rock.

"Whoa..."

The enormous ethereal visage of King Mufasa stared down at the badger. "Bunga!" Kion reprimanded him, having been in conversation with his long-lost grandfather. The prince wasn't really sure what happened now - as far as he knew, the only other person his grandfather talked to in ghost form was his father.

"Uh, hi?" Bunga nervously waved at the king.

Mufasa smiled at him. "Hello, little Bunga. This is your not place."

"Yeah, I, uh..." Bunga quickly looked around for an excuse, still in shock. "I mean, I, uh... just thought I'd come and see, uh... how you guys were doing, and, uh... heh heh... heh..." His mischievous grin dropped.

The great King wiggled his finger at Bunga. " _You_ can wait down below until Kion and I have finished." Suddenly, he huffed and puffed, causing a great wind that didn't seem to affect Kion, but sent Bunga tumbling down the steps of Pride Rock. The wind constantly changed direction, so Bunga was never in danger of falling off the cliff... but he got his fair share of bumps and bruises.

Mufasa turned back to Kion. "Just between you and me: that was very satisfying."

Kion grinned back at him. "I won't tell anyone."

"However, I am unable to help you with the threat that you're facing. This creature, this _Beast_ is made of the darkest, most forbidden magic. It is living cruelty and it can only be truly dispersed by that same evil."

"But why?!" Kion protested. "You're the greatest King of all time! If we can't fight it, you have to!"

Mufasa shook his head sadly. "I can't fight it, Kion. It's not from my world, or yours. Hence, our magic is useless against it. You must defeat it by your own means, and with what is available to you. That is all I can tell you now."

Kion sighed as the great King's face dissipated. Holding his head low, he climbed down the steps to go find Bunga.

* * *

"So?! What did he say?! What's the plan?!" Bunga immediately demanded to know. Kion sat down in front of him and confessed: "I don't know what the plan is. My grandfather told me that we can only beat him with what we have, but I just don't see how that's going to work right now. We should probably go find the others and see how they're holding up."

"With ancestors like yours, I'd expect you to put up more of a fight." A familiar, slimy voice croned. Mzingo the vulture had made himself comfortable on the giant pedestal where the royalty usually stood.

Kion snarled at him. "Mzingo! I am not in the mood to deal with you right now, so get out of here before I roar you back to the Outlands again!"

The vulture's eyes widened. "I'm also noting a lack of courteous patience. Yes, we are enemies, but you forget... we vultures act and think by logic." He tapped his temple.

"Ha! That's a good one!" Bunga said, smiling. "Last time we met, you were a babbling mess who got fired by his own evil, logical bosses for not being logical enough. Sorry, but you gotta earn your supervillain card back!"

Mzingo glared at him. "Oh pipe down for once, you repellant, bug-headed simpleton! Your skull is so empty that an eagle could fit in it and still not spot the brain!"

"Oh yeah? Well, you're really ugly!" Bunga countered. Kion stared at the sky, hoping he was making the right choice. "Alright, Mzingo... alright. I know what you want. You want us to promote the vultures to a position of power in exchange for your help in stopping this monster. Am I close?"

The vulture smiled smugly. "Spot on as ever, Kion. Simba's death was part of my plan, I admit it, but without the chaos that would've erupted from the conflict between the females Fuli and Jasiri, it would only harm my kind in the long run. After all, whoever tried to conquer Pride Rock could be even less agreeable. Now then... the Beast. Well, I am not a magical being, so I can't offer you anything that way, but as always, the situation can easily be solved by the application of logic."

Bunga pretended to snore, bored by Mzingo.

"Bunga, I'm gonna tell you this once: shut up." Kion said. "What does your logic say, Mzingo?"

"That you haven't explored every path yet. The Kings Above cannot help you. This world offers nothing as well. What is left then? Think about that. I trust you to come to the right conclusion." With that, Mzingo took off. Had Kion and Bunga not been so busy mulling over his words, they might've noticed the vulture landing only a few miles away from the Rock, near a small, concealed pool in the middle of a thick field of grass.

Bunga observed as Kion suddenly unsheathed his claws and digged the ground, clearly troubled by the decision he'd come to.  
"I've got it Bunga. I know what I've got to do."

"Well, I'm all ears." the honey badger said, getting a bad feeling from his friend's expression.

Kion gave him a dark look. "We can't use the magic from this world. We can't use the magic from the Kings Above. That just leaves the other side... the Kings Below."

Bunga's mouth dropped open. "No way..."

"Oh yeah." Kion scowled. "Life's not fair, is it?"

* * *

Kopa's smile faltered slightly as he saw his mother approach the den Simba had lent him with another lion. He was only slightly older than Kopa, but his pale, yellow mane was far bigger. His pelt was even paler, and his eyes were grey and foggy. Overall, he looked bland, but he was tough and wiry.

Tama ran to Kopa and the two nuzzled for a short moment, before the other lion entered the scene.

"Hello, Kopa." he said, with a formal nod. "I am Vijana, King of the Hasira Pride." He circled around Kopa, eyeing him up. "And do you know who you are?"

Tama interrupted. "I've told him the truth about his heritage."

"Does he care?" The king asked her.

Kopa stepped closer to his mother, leaving Vijana out. "Mom, what is going on? What's this about?" He had been born in the Hasira Pride, and had vague memories of his time there with other lions, but mostly, he'd heard of it from his mother during the years they spent travelling together.

Tama sighed and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "Kopa, we need your help." she confessed. "Things are changing fast in the Pride Lands, and you're about to become more important than you realise."

"Indeed." Vijana continued, walking in front of Kopa. "As the son of the ruling pride here, and a member of the Hasira Pride, you will be instrumental in ensuring our interests... and of course, peace between the lion kingdoms once the sun has set. _You_ , Kopa... are going to be King of Pride Rock!"

Kopa bounced back, reeling. There was no way he heard that correctly. "What are you talking about?! Simba is the King. Nothing is going to happen to him... right, mom?"  
Tama refused to look into her son's eyes, and lowered her head.

"The answer is no." Vijana said, smiling. "Before this day is done, Simba will be exiled. Your mother will reveal your identity to the Kings, and you will step up, as a symbol of the past and present."

Kopa wasn't an idiot. He knew very well what Vijana was talking about... somehow, his mother had become involved in a conspiracy to dethrone the generous, kind Simba... and Vijana wanted to use him as a puppet king. "But I'm not a member of the Hasira Pride. I barely even remember it." he said carefully.

Vijana laughed. "I said symbol, didn't I? All that matters is that you were born as one of us. And trust me..." his voice turned serious. "this is something you want to do... because you weren't the first choice. If you don't become King today, someone far worse will..."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _There is really nothing more satisfying than getting out a long chapter like this. So please, review, review and review! Follows and favourites are good, but reviews fuel the writer! :D_

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - It's about to get even more exciting..._

 _*werewolf dj - He's just being Bunga._

 _*LionKingIsAwesome - Thanks! I hope so too, but he's a nasty._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - The Roar can be used to trick them by manipulating the environment, but not to actually blow them away like with other, non-magical foes._

* _Guest - As members of different species, Kion and Jasiri can't have kids, so they don't have to mate for long. Also, I'd be interested to know what other mistakes you caught! I'm glad to have observant readers._

* _Dragonfan - I'm very honoured you think I'm talented. :D Just keep the reviews coming, if you can. I wish you luck with whatever it is you're dealing with in real life._

 _1\. You're welcome._

 _2\. Other magical abilities... hmm, interesting. I like that idea. By all means, please send me your prompt._

 _3\. Kion and his friends are all about the same age as Teen Simba in LK 3. Thanks for being so understanding!_

 _4\. I don't remember Fuli saving that hedgehog, but if so, then why not? It can be Harry. Shenzi, Banzai and Ed are all sadly dead, yes. RIP._

 _5\. I thought everybody on the show knew about this. It's been a long while since Mufasa appeared anyway, so I must've forgotten how the early episodes handled it. For the purposes of this story, it's common knowledge._

 _Ooh, Dark Kion... definitely send that prompt as well. Hakuna Matata!_

* _pinksakura271 (Chapter 23) - As it turns out, a lot is new..._

 _*pinksakura271 (Chapter 24) - I really hate Bunga too, as this chapter proves... also, I happen to like Sonic the Hedgehog(although I haven't really played his games much). So I guess I like him in theory._


	28. Chapter 27

Bunga waved his arms frantically. "Whoaaa-whoa-whoa-whoa, let me see if I got this... you want to open a portal to the land of all the dead bad guys and ask _Scar_ for help?" It was the most insane, brilliant, madcap plan the honey badger had ever heard of. He loved it.

Kion shrugged.

"This. Is. Un-bungalievable! Hey, do you think Scar will let me have his autograph?!" Bunga asked and leaped enthusiastically in the air, wildly gesticulating.

"Probably not, since you won't be there." Kion replied sternly and began walking away.

Bunga frowned. "Huh? What do you mean, I won't be there? Of course I'll be there!" he protested.

"No, Bunga!" Kion insisted, turning back briefly. "This is something I have to do alone. It's a family matter, okay?"

The honey badger rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. What do you want me to do, then? Dress in drag and do the hula?"

"Why not... IF this works out." Kion grinned.

* * *

The lion prince sighed mentally as he pounced down the steps of Pride Rock and wished he'd kept Jasiri with him. The two of them had barely found time for each other after the night they mated. After this madness has rolled over, Kion promised himself, he will do something really nice for her. Something that would prove to her that he was serious about wanting to spend the rest of his life with her. He loved the madcap, brutally honest, tender hyena with all his heart and it was time to turn the dream into reality, whether or not anybody thinks they're freaks.

He also had to finally admit to his parents that he had chosen Jasiri. It had been a stressful moment to say the least, when they had outright asked him who he'd picked during the heat, but Kion hadn't yet been brave enough to answer truthfully, especially with how Simba had reacted when he saw the Lion Guard for the first time. He told him exactly what he'd agreed to with Jasiri and Kopa, that the latter had supplied a cure. But now that his own father's life was threatened, Kion realised that life was just too short to keep secrets.

 _Focus!_ he thought. First, he had to face his own family's dark past. Obviously, the infamous villain wasn't just going to appear on summons like his brother, so Kion had to bring the conversation to him. He needed a little window into the underworld. And that was another reason he couldn't have Bunga tagging along, because the only person whom Kion thought might have a clue how to do that was the honey badger's mortal enemy Ushari.

As the proud and easily irritable snake loved to tell to anyone who took the time to listen(Simba had made Kion and Kiara do it together when they were little), Ushari's kind had been idolised by the ancient Egyptian civilization, and his ancestors managed to observe the various rituals practised by the humans in their pyramid dens, which famously included conversing with spirits and even resurrection by something called "the Book of the Dead". Stuff like that got passed down, generation by generation, and now Ushari claimed to know the secrets, secrets he wouldn't tell anyone. If only Kion could coax it out of him...

* * *

Fortunately, luck appeared to be on Kion's side, and the snake slithered out of a nearby bush almost immediately after he left Pride Rock. He might've found it suspicious... had he not been in such a hurry. As it were, he merely thanked the Great Kings for luck.

"Ushari!" he called and jumped over to the snake. "I need a word with you!"

Ushari recoiled. "Well, it's not often the lion prince seekssss... an audience. However can I help?"

"It's about my father..." Kion started.

"Sssssay no more! You want the sssecrets I possess to defeat that monssstrosity, hmm?" Ushari smiled. He had the lion prince on his forked tongue, and they both knew it.

Kion gritted his teeth and glared at Ushari. "The only one who knows how to stop my father is my great-uncle Scar. I need you to open a window to where he is so I could talk to him safely. Can you do that?"

The snake slithered close to Kion. "Yesss. I can. But I don't think I will. You can't pay the price!"

"The price?" Kion asked, feeling his heart sink. "What do you want?"

Ushari grinned and hissed. "I want that infernal honey badger. I want your _permission_ to eat him. That is the only way you'll see your father ever again."

The cub's mouth dropped, completely shocked. "No! No way! I won't allow it!" he declared and turned around, ready to leave.

"Your convictions do you honor. I'm sssure you'll find another way... eventually." Ushari said with an evil look in his eyes.

Kion stopped and stared at his paws, his brain on fire.

Ushari continued, whispering into Kion's ear: "After all, when your father lies dead in the same canyon that took his father, I'm ssssssure the Pride Lands will applaud you for staying true to that..." he slowly drew out the words. "Stinking... irritating... little... honey badger. And your mother, oh... what will sssssshe say?"

 _I can't. I just can't. I can't betray my friend, I'd be betraying myself and dad and everyone if I did that._

 _You killed Brody._

 _I don't even remember it! And I wasn't myself! And I was hunting... with Fuli... I was hunting, it was different!_

 _Different how? You hunted for meat. Now you hunt for something far more important._

 _How can I look them in the eye if I say yes?_

 _How can you look them in the eye if you say no?_

* * *

Kopa sat miserably away from Vijana and the other lion kings, who now held private counsel over the future of the Pride Lands. He had agreed to all of their terms - only to hear what their plans were - and what he heard had stolen all hope from him. There was no way to win and Kopa knew that if he sided with Simba, he would die. And that was exactly what he was going to do. He had no intention to be a puppet king and watch the Pride Lands be torn apart by these traitors in his own name.  
His ever-pragmatic mother, who was lying next to him, did not share his patriotism.

"How could you let them do this?" Kopa asked her bitterly. "You were there all this time, you could've told Simba the truth and we wouldn't be in this mess."

Tama snorted and smiled at his son. "Survival of the fittest, Kopa. You have a real chance here to make things the way they should be. No matter what Vijana says, once you step up onto Pride Rock, _you_ make the decisions. And from there, you can earn the respect of the other Kings the way Simba never did, with strength! Forget the Circle of Life fairy tale and embrace the claws in your paws. Over time, you may even become King over them all. "

Kopa ignored her. He had actually dreamed of growing up to be strong enough to lead a pride... in fact, he sort of still did. But it was very different in his imagination. First, he had planned to find a mate, someone with the same fire and loyalty as himself, someone fast enough to keep up with him... then they would go off together and land to call their own, and other lions happy to live under their rule.  
He knew from his mother that lion prides did fight occasionally, but he'd always seen it as more prodding than downright war. The idea of taking somebody else's pride was both unknown and completely unappealing to him. And the fact that his own mother was on their side conflicted Kopa more than anything. It didn't _feel_ right. So... was it right to be wrong? Was it good to be bad?

He wasn't going to find out.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _To those of you still unaware, Disney has announced that there's going to be a remake of The Lion King, presumably in 3D CGI, as that seems to be Disney's hallmark right now. If you want to hear my thoughts on it, I've already posted two videos on it on my Youtube channel(soon to be followed by a third one), but suffice to say: I am not happy._

 _Meanwhile, I am once again late with another chapter. Sorry. I have no excuse. I do try and get them out weekly, honestly. Forgive me? :)_

 _*Guest - No, just a regular old demon lion. As for Bunga, well... :D_

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Thanks! I did squeeze a lot into the last chapter. I tried to do the same here, but in the end, I didn't want to leave you without content for too long._

 _*Juria - Can you please elaborate on why you almost got bored? If there's anything I could improve on, I'd love to know!_

 _*LionKingIsAwesome - All your questions will be answered... next chapter... mwahahahahahaha!_

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Dude, you just Game Of Thrones-d it._

 _*Kirk - A little bit of both, perhaps? :D_

 _*Carme - Will do!_

 _*Moonlit Novel - Do you have it released yet? Also, word of advice: I believe in God and I don't appreciate being told what to put on my profile page. People will take what you have to say to heart, when you say it to them, not order them to share it with the threat of Hell hanging over them if they don't._

 _*pinksakura271 - Freddy Krueger is always funny._ _Also, my favourite element is water._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - No, no, what have *I* gotten myself into?! I just came here to write a sweet romance story, lol!_

 _*SennaFan4ever - Aww, I'm so glad to see you here again! Hope you enjoy these next chapters! Thanks for the compliments!_

 _*Dragonasaurus - Glad to hear you're doing better! Thanks for the kind words about my last chapter. And let me tell you, I've been looking forward to replying to this chocolate cake of a review..._

 _1\. Got them! I'll be sure to use at least some of them in December..._

 _2\. Yep, that's pretty much it. I'm a bit of a romantic, so I tend to focus on the melodrama. You'll see them grow out of it, though. I have long plans for this story._

 _3\. On the contrary, it is I who must suggest that you rewatch "Fuli's New Family" for a scene where Bunga actually plays with an irritated porcupine(which is the species that Harry actually is). I was quite shocked when I pretty much saw Harry come to life in the show! As for the other episodes, I'll probably see them again soon, since I'm making crack videos based on them. I've already done Return Of The Roar!_

 _4/5. One thing you should understand is that everything I say is "at the moment". At the moment, Kion and Jasiri can't have kids. At the moment, the hyena trio is gone. That doesn't mean they're out of the question forever. In this story, Jasiri and Janja are not related to the trio(in fact, Jasiri mentions Shenzi in an early chapter when she explains her backstory to Kion). I think Cheezi might be Ed's kid, though. Just a gut feeling. Cheetions just make me think of hot Cheetos. :D_

 _6\. He probably did. In fact, I'm quite sure he did, since he would've wanted to make sure what happened to Scar._

 _7\. Plans within plans..._

 _8\. According to Ford Riley, Kiara has already met Kovu, so that is the case in this story as well. Kion does NOT know Kopa is his half-brother. Nobody knows yet, though Simba is suspicious._

 _9\. Thank you! Bringing Nala to the forefront is definitely one of my goals._

 _10\. It has occurred to me as well._

 _11\. Aww... but I like Thurston..._

 _12\. You're forgetting that Kion was extremely immature before he became the leader of the Lion Guard. Most of his days were spent on playing with Bunga while Kiara studied hard to be Queen. As such, she and her friends find Kion's new role a bit hard to grasp._

 _13\. Vijana grew up in a pretty violent pride, plus he's young and hotheaded. I don't really see him as a malevolent villain, he's more like a gang leader hoping to take advantage of Mzingo's plans._

 _14\. The warthog stuffed with meerkat thing was just a joke meant to slightly worry Kion. Jasiri now knows about the two and their position in the pride, and the reverse is also true for Timon and Pumbaa. I might do a flashback later on, if it fits the story._

 _15\. My favourite episode is "The Kupatana Celebration" and my favourite song is "Jackal Style". I have seen "Never Roar Again", and it was really terrific, we need more episodes like that on the show, as opposed to the formulaic random problem-solving storylines we usually get._

 _16\. Thank you so much! I will._

 _17\. Ah, but does betrayal even exist in the animal kingdom...?_

 _18\. I'll have to see more of Kiara in the show to answer that. Right now, I still have no idea how the Kiara from the show is supposed to become the Kiara we see in LK 2._

 _19\. Let's just say this individual has been prepared for a very long time... wink wink._

 _I don't mind the last minute questions at all!_

 _*Guest - Oh, thank you so much!_

 _*Guest - Cool._

 _*zootopiafan - Simba can be exiled, if there's a sort of hostile takeover. Remember, his is a peaceful pride. If everybody turned against him, he wouldn't risk the lives of his friends over his own._


	29. Chapter 28

Ushari led Kion to his home, an isolated pile of boulders in the middle of a field of grass, that had been sitting beside a pond for an untold number of years. The pond itself was bridged by an old, dead tree trunk. Kion dragged his feet, almost as if he was led by some kind of otherworldly controlling force. He still couldn't believe he had it in him to relent to Ushari's demand. He felt like his heart was frozen.

 _It's all going to be okay once dad is safe._ he told himself. _We'll figure something out._  
The King's life depended on Kion and he had to put his fears aside.

As the snake slithered quickly into the rocks, Kion peeked in through a crack and caught a glimpse of some strange symbols sketched into the stones.

"Is that it?" he asked, curious. "Is that the Book of the Dead?"

Ushari let out an awful, whispery laugh and matched Kion's eyeline from within the little compartment. "Not even clossssse. The Book was a treasure trove of myssstical knowledge, of magic that made the world as malleable as clay. These..." he pointed at the rough drawings with his tail. "Are scraps. But I have the spell you need, the spell that will allow you to talk to those who would best not be disssturbed."

"My uncle Scar." Kion muttered. "What do I have to trade away this time, an eyeball?" He rolled his eyes.

"Maybe." the snake smiled enigmatically as he always did, and crawled out of the rocks again, having looked at the transcriptions. "Actually, a drop of blood. Royal blood, you see."

Kion nodded. "Alright, anything else?"

Ushari shook his head and looked at the pond with anticipation. "Nothing I haven't already taken care of... I've been waiting to put one of these spells to use for a long time. I can... hehe... hardly believe my luck."

The lion prince scowled. "Enough! We've got to save my father. I'll give you my blood..." he took a deep breath. "And Bunga... just open the portal now!" With the thought of his father's death already being a possibility, Kion silenced all his fears. He was doing this.

"As you wish, ssssweet prince." Ushari led Kion to the tree trunk sitting on top of the pond and instructed him to stare down into his own reflection whilst he performed the secret ritual required to poke a little hole into the unnamed realm. As Kion stared patiently at his own worried eyes, he had no idea what Ushari was doing, though he thought he heard him drop something into the water and speak words he did not understand in more than one voice, it seemed. Eventually, the cobra told him to provide the blooddrop.

Extending his claw, Kion tore open the half-healed scar on his forehead that Mzingo had made when he and Janja tried to trap him in the canyon, and dipped the reddened claw into the pool of water. "Is that it?" Kion asked.

"Speak his name."

Kion breathed heavily. "Alright then... Scar!" Nothing happened. The lion prince looked confusedly at the snake, who merely shook his head. But then Kion remembered... Rafiki often told warning stories about Scar, one of which was about him and Mufasa in their youth, back when he was called...

" _Taka._ "

Suddenly, the entire pond turned inky black in color, and Kion's reflection morphed into someone he'd never met, but knew far too well. A lion with a black oily mane, dark brown fur and glowing, malevolent green eyes stared back at Kion.

"So... you're the new brat, eh?" he asked in a silky voice, smiling. "What can Uncle Scar do for you?"

* * *

"Scar..." Kion whispered, in a mixture of awe and paralysing fear. The worst, most evil lion as far as anyone could remember. For a few moments, he was at a loss for words.

"I might as well call _you_ that. Our family seems to have a penchant for nasty head injuries." Scar flippantly joked. "But that's not the only thing we're similar in, is it?"

Kion frowned. He knew where Scar was heading and did not want the conversation to go there. Or anywhere, really. "I need you to help me. It might do your soul a little good down there." he said harshly, pointing out Scar's crimes.

"You've gone so far to find me... and it's a trend." Scar said, ignoring him. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed! You killed that zebra for sport, _because you wanted to_. You tried to tear Janja's throat out, _because you wanted to_. And you've come here... giving up your best friend's life for the mere potential of saving your father, _because you wanted to_. Not that it'll matter... your parents will denounce you anyway, the minute you try to present that dog to them as your mate."

Kion clawed the ground. He wasn't planning on letting Scar get to his head. The dead King was just that... dead. Toothless. "I want to be a better person than you were." he said to his grand-uncle.

"Well, now you've gone and hurt my feelings!" Scar pouted. "But let's see if we can put an end to Mzingo's beastly scheme, hmm?"

"Mzingo? Is he the one responsible for that monster attacking my dad?" Kion asked. _Perhaps the Roar had been too kind for Mzingo. But why would he help me talk to Scar then?_

Scar's grin widened and he explained: "Ushari knows many things... and tells them to many people. So, Mzingo brought my dear nephew to the canyon, to attract the wrath of the Beast. And if he failed, your brother's presence in the canyon would serve both as an alibi, and a distraction. That was his little touch. But if it worked, sooner or later you would be pushed into realising that I'm your only hope." Kion's jaw dropped. How deep did this conspiracy go?

"It's all been leading up to this, Kion." Scar declared, savouring the moment. "It's all been leading up to _me_. Did you really think that Ushari would just have the power to talk to the dead and not utilise it? And Mzingo... for all his planning, he could never foresee being manipulated himself. You are here solely because I wanted you here."

Kion glared at Scar for a few seconds. "Why?" he asked. "What do you want from me so badly? The Pride Lands? I won't give them to you. Not even for my family." He himself had no desire for power or ruling the Pride Lands, but as one of the royal heirs, still bore certain responsibilities. The pride was paramount to all. However, as he'd slowly realised over the past few days, he was willing to surrender his soul, bit by bit, so that others would not have to suffer. Scar was wrong in thinking he did those things because he wanted to. He did those things because he had to.

"No, Kion, not the Pride Lands. I want _the Roar_."

The lion prince's eyes widened. "No..."

"Yes." Scar's eyes bore into Kion. "It's mine, little thief. I want my Roar from you. And then, then... I'll disperse the Beast."

"What do you want it for?! I need it to keep the Pride Lands safe!" Kion desperately protested. Not just that, the Roar had also become a huge part of his identity. Who would he be without the power to back his words up?

Scar growled. " _I_ keep the Pride Lands safe. I am the leader of the Lion Guard, and I am the King. What the Pride Lands need or not is no one else's to decide. Now give it to me! Or I'll have the Beast gut Simba and your band of brain-damaged cretins. Especially Jasiri. That little _bitch_."

Finally, Kion gave up. He didn't know why Scar would need the Roar when he was dead, but if it meant he would leave his father, family and pride alone... then he'd do it. Jasiri was all the power he needed. He would defend the Pride Lands with her, and the Kupatana Guard.

"How do I do it?" Kion asked.

Seeing the look in his eyes got Scar excited. He knew victory was very much in his paws. Just one last step... "Ushari?"

The snake crawled up to Kion and hissed the necessary ritual into his ear.

* * *

Behind Kion, Ushari was joined by Mzingo. "How's it going?" the vulture whispered.

"Scar's almost there. Are the others ready?" Ushari asked.

Mzingo nodded. "Closing in on Pride Rock. All of them.

* * *

Suddenly, Kion's eyesight blurred. He tried to rub them, but couldn't feel his hand. _What's going on?_

He couldn't even close his eyes, or turn his head. It was as if he was nothing, but a floating mind. _A ghost..._

Kion still saw the shape of Scar in front of him. But was it Scar? He seemed more yellow-ish... with a reddish mane... that wasn't Scar, Kion realised. He was seeing his own reflection.

As visual clarity returned, Kion saw and heard himself laughing in the reflection. But he didn't feel like laughing. "I don't understand." he said.

Kion's reflection waved at him and spoke with his own voice, though Kion knew it wasn't him. "It's very simple, really. The Roar passes onto the next lion when you die. It's very purpose is tethered into the land of the living. When you thrusted the Roar onto me with magic, I was simply _required_ to be alive! And what could be a more fitting vessel for me than the body of the only living lion whose soul was touched by the Roar's magic? Which of course, simply required you to be dead. Bye-bye!"

The image disappeared, leaving Kion's spirit floating in the void. He screamed.

* * *

Jasiri blinked. _Where am I?_

She felt very odd, as if she was wearing the head of a hippo on her tiny body. _I must be hurt_. she realised. And then the memories came back. They'd tried to trap the Beast with the water of the dam. It hadn't worked, and so the Kupatana Guard stood in front of the King to protect him and... that was it. She heard a lot of strange voices echoing in her head, but couldn't make any one out except...

"Jasiri!" Kion's voice!

 _Kion's come to save us! He did it! He must have!_

But this wasn't the canyon. She blinked again. It was so... so... white!

She was in a void, floating without gravity. In front of her was Kion, though something seemed different about him... something was missing. Suddenly, she heard the voices and other bizarre ambient noise, getting louder. Focusing on Kion, she forced them out.

"Jasiri!" he raised out his paw to touch hers, but they went through one another. "I'm sorry." he said.

"For what? I don't understand. Where are we?" Jasiri asked, confused and worried. Her heart sank as Kion looked absolutely anguished. "Kion, tell me."

Kion looked down, not bearing to see her eyes. Though he had no throat anymore, he still gulped. "I think I'm dead." He began to cry, though no tears came. He didn't know why, nor did he care. The lion prince was both ashamed and terrified of what had happened to him.

Instinctively, Jasiri tried to hug her mate, but she might as well have hugged air. Kion simply _wasn't there._ And then his words sunk in.

"Kion... what do you mean?What happened? Where are we? ... Look at me."

Kion raised his head on command. "I... I think we're just somewhere between here and there. It was Scar. _The_ Scar. I tried to talk to him like I talk with my grandfather. I thought he could stop the monster."

The hyena looked absolutely horrified. "Kion... you didn't!"

"I had to! I even promised... oh no... I promised Ushari could have Bunga! Jasiri, I... I just wanted my dad safe. He even made me give up the Roar, and that's how I ended up here. He was behind it all, he just wanted my Roar, so he could take over my body! Jasiri, he's out there right now!"

The voices intervened again. _Is that Fuli?_ Jasiri thought.

"Jasiri?"

"I can hear voices." she muttered.

Kion nodded. "You're still alive. Just knocked out, probably. You look way more real than I do."

Jasiri looked the lion prince in the eye. "I'm going to stop him. No, scratch that, I'm going to _destroy_ him, for everything he's done! And I'm going to get you back. And then, my love, I'll make you personally tell each and every person in the Pride Lands, parents included, how lucky you are to have a mate of the hyena kind, willing to put up with this crap."

Kion's ears flattened against his head. "Will do. Be safe, Jasiri!"

"Tell that to Scar!" Jasiri laughed. It wasn't a sad laugh, or a happy laugh... it was the laugh of a hyena before she went to war.

* * *

Scar flexed his new paws, with a self-satisfied grin on his face. With Kion's body now in his possession, Scar's ultimate dream was fulfilled... the strength of his brother combined with his own mind. Now all he needed was Pride Rock! He wondered if his nephew had survived the Beast's attack.

Mzingo and Ushari approached him. In a fierce, lightning-fast slash, Scar ripped Ushari's head off and tossed it into the pond, leaving his body to flop and twitch around on the ground.

"Y-your Highness?" Mzingo stuttered.

"I can do anything now, Mzingo." Scar said, looking at his messy paws. "I needed that kill. I can feel the blood pumping in my body again. And now..." he carved once again into Kion's old head injury, and dragged the wound down over his eye and into his cheek. "The pain. That wound made me who I am. That _s_ _car._ "

He turned to Mzingo, covered in blood, looking like the demented maniac that he was. "Go find Kiara."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Hey, guy who said Kion shouldn't die and Scar shouldn't come back... I'm REALLY sorry. :D I've been waiting since July to write this chapter._

 _*zootopiafan - Bunga IS stupid. I mean, did you see the Zimwi episode? Crikey, he was cringeworthy in that. Yeah, I was wondering whether I went too far with the Egyptian angle, but I liked the idea too much to not include it. I'm generally not a fan of humans in Lion King either(and I desperately hope the remake won't do that, it'd be awful). As for Ushari eating Bunga, well, snakes are insanely flexible. And even without that, he could wrap himself around Bunga and then just bite at him til he dies or choke him.  
Thanks for the grammar note. You watch your spelling, though! :)_

 _*CarmenJasiriTM - Okay, thanks, Ronno!_

 _*Guest - Funnily enough, Kaa is actually a Yoda-ish hero in the original book. I haven't even seen the Jungle Book movies._

 _*pinksakura271 - I love the Ancient Egyptian era too... and the Mummy movies are great. They're actually doing a new remake, which is cool._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - When I said "Game Of Thrones-d" it, I meant you jinxed it. Game Of Thrones is infamous for bad things happening. I'll message you, sure!_

 _*Juria - Phew, that's a relief... I can see what you mean though, I struggled a bit, and will probably again at some point. It's difficult to transition between storylines._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - Better get a pint..._

 _*Dragonasaurus - I'm honored that you think I'm that creative. Personally, I'm very critical of my work. And yeah, I've had those computer errors too. I've actually started to copy-paste a lot just in case something like that happens. I hope your syndrome doesn't bother you too much, I never would have guessed. Oh, and I like the titles. :)  
_

 _1\. Will do. I'm actually going to write another chapter in the Kion-Reirei story I think. I love going dark with that pairing._

 _2\. I have no fixed numbers of chapters in mind. I deliberately designed this story to run as long as I desire(hence why there are events, not one storyline), however I do intend to end it at some point and move on to a sequel, which would take place after LK 2, when Kovu and Kiara rule over Pride Rock.  
_

 _3\. The whole hedgehog-porcupine thing happened, because one of my readers pointed out that Harry isn't a hedgehog(I had pictured a porcupine and given him the wrong name), so I made it into a bit of a joke, where Bunga would keep calling him a hedgehog. I'll watch "Bunga the Wise" again when I make my video about it on Youtube.  
_

 _4\. Until it's written in the story, it's all in flux. Kion and Jasiri can't have kids, because they're different animals. Getting around that will be its own storyline. But for now, they can't. The hyena trio is dead. If I want to bring them back, I'll have to add it into the story. They could be alive, but as far as we know right now, they're dead._

 _5\. I wasn't aware only the alpha female was allowed to have cubs. Do all females who breed become Queens then? I'm going to have to think about that now..._

 _7\. Not really, since I'm not an author... and even my previous fanfics are pretty short-ish. This is my only "major success" in writing.  
_

 _8\. Swahili's a funny old language._

 _9\. Yes and yes._

 _10\. Well, Brody's entire purpose was to show the effect that the heat had on Kion. I can see why you don't like Thurston, but I find him very funny. Panic and run! PANIC AND RUN!_

 _11\. Kopa's basically your ordinary lion. Wants to have a nice pride, a lovely Queen etc. I suppose he is a bit like Jon Snow._

 _12\. Considering that Kion was one of the heirs to Pride Rock, I can imagine Zazu was instructed to teach him as well. Even Simba acted like he was immature in the movie. I can't really tell how much Kiara studies to be Queen, but considering that we only rarely see her, it could be a lot. But she's still a cub too, after all, and doesn't have any experience in the field like Kion now does. Plus, Tiifu and Zuri are always, ALWAYS whispering into her ears, and you know what those two are like._

 _13\. Well, Kiara and her friends don't have superpowers for starters..._

 _14\. Oh yeah, definitely. Although as you might have figured out, he's not exactly the big bad guy..._

 _15\. Right..._

 _16\. Ukweli is Kion's childhood friend, who left the pride between the flashback and the beginning of the story. She's coming back in Mkuu 2._

 _17\. They could open a babysitting business at this point._

 _18\. Well, since The Lion Guard is made for a younger audience, it's sometimes difficult for me to watch(especially when it was just getting started). "The Kupatana Celebration" was the first episode I really enjoyed and felt that it was worth having the show. It even made me laugh at loud, which is very rare for me when watching TV on my own. I love the song, because I'm the jackals' biggest fan.  
_

 _19\. True, although it's been hinted in other episodes as well. Again, such a shame that episode hasn't been aired._

 _20-24. Were you going to write something here?_

 _25\. I write him to be as dumb as possible. It magically fits._

 _26\. I believe this chapter answered both of these._

 _*Guest - I'm glad you enjoyed it!_

 _*Guest - Thanks!_

 _*Guest - You got it!_


	30. Chapter 29

Feeling something cold and wet on her face, Jasiri finally stirred, and returned to reality. It was water, and someone had splashed it on her to wake her up. She tried to stand up, but suddenly, she felt incredibly dizzy and uncoordinated, and a bright light filled her eyes. "Whoa, whoa, take it easy!"  
King Simba placed his paw on Jasiri's shoulder. "Are you alright, Jasiri?" He asked.

Jasiri nodded slightly, trying not to upset her head. "Yeah. What happened?"

"The monster knocked you out, after it flew out of the trap we made." Simba quickly explained. He was standing between Beshte and Fuli, all looking down at her with a  
worried expression.

Beshte nodded. "Yeah, yeah, and then it just disappeared!" he exclaimed.

"We thought you were a goner." Fuli added, and smiled as she saw Jasiri get better.

Simba looked into the distance, where he could just see the peak of his home. "Whatever Kion did must've worked." He murmured, and turned to the Kupatana Guard. "Beshte, Fuli, take her to Rafiki's tree, he'll tend to her wounds, and those of the other animals who were hurt by this... thing." The group was then joined by Nala, whose huntresses were taking the remains of the animals who died back to Pride Rock.

"At least there's one good thing about all this." she said. "Plenty of food for everybody. Especially you, Simba, you've been running all day!"

Jasiri rubbed her head. She felt like she'd forgotten something... a dream she had whilst she was unconscious? Worse still, it seemed to her like something she shouldn't have forgotten, as if it was incredibly important somehow. The hyena was filled with anger over it, though she couldn't even tell why.

* * *

Scar grinned as the seat of his kingdom came into view. "My prize, my jewel, my bone to chew on... that rhymed." He paused. "Poetic justice indeed." He turned to the pack of vultures scurrying behind him. They looked even more pathetic than the hyenas he used to employ, but their wings at least gave them an advantage.  
"Where is my mate?" he demanded. "Where is Zira?"

The skittish birds briefly struggled amongst themselves not to be the one to face Scar's potential wrath. Finally one of them, a nervous wreck, stepped forward.

"Well?" Scar growled.

The vulture gulped. "She, uh... she would not be convinced of the, uh... legitimacy of your claim to your... um... identity, sir. Your highness. Sire."

Scar laughed. He could only imagine what Zira's reaction to claims of his resurrection through the body of Simba's son must've been like. It didn't matter, really. Zira's lionesses would've been good to have here, but the force that he had amassed was more than enough to carry through the plan he'd so patiently built up.

 _We'll make good use of Zira when the time comes._ he thought.

Enthused by Scar's reaction, the vulture continued: "But everyone else is here, your majesty... my lord.."

"Sire will do, now get on with it."

"Yes, my lo- I mean, Sire... everyone else is here and are awaiting your command."

Scar smiled dementedly. "Now all we have to do is wait for Simba. Tell them to make sure they're far enough from Pride Rock to avoid detection."  
The vulture gave a polite chuckle. "Sire, I assure you... they're quite far enough."

"Move them a little bit further still!" Scar commanded. "Simba's queen has an extraordinary nose. Trust me, I know."

"Sire! We've been spotted!" One of the vultures began waving his wings and pointing at the sky.

Looking up, Scar recognised the bird immediately. "Not to worry! I'll handle this." He gave Ono a friendly wave.

* * *

The white egret landed in front of him. "Kion! What happened to you?"  
Scar raised his eyebrow. "Why? What do you mean, Ono?"

"Well, for one thing, you have a giant gash running across your face. Didn't you notice?" Ono deadpanned.

The lion rolled his eyes. "What exactly are you up to?" he asked of the bird.  
"Um..." Ono looked confused. "I was actually on my way to tell you that Rafiki gave me information on how to beat the Beast!"

"Already taken care of." Scar said in a bored tone. "Anything else?"

The vultures, and Kion's odd inflections unnerved Ono. "Yeah, um... why are we surrounded by vultures? And did you know that there's a bunch of animals circling Pride Rock?"

"Oh, you noticed that, didn't you? Well, let me put it this way..." Scar tented his extended claws. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

"That's... not very funny, Kion." Ono began to flap his wings, but Scar grabbed onto him in lightning-fast motion. "Ah! Let me go!"

"Only after I've told you what you wanted to know... my name is Scar, by the way. I'm the King of this land, and I've transcended death itself to claim what should always have been mine! Apply your tedious mind to that. Actually, on second thought... let me do it for you!" He stuffed the egret in his mouth and chewed, quickly silencing Ono's screams. Finally, he gulped and spat out a bunch of feathers and a beak.

"Hmm." Scar pondered. "Maybe I was wrong about him after all. Big brain equals delicious lunch!"

"If you carry on like that, you won't have a Lion Guard left to lead." Mzingo pointed out, having apparently returned from the little mission Scar sent him on and appearing far more confident than the vultures who had only recently shunned him.

Scar glowered. "I don't need the cub's playmates. In fact..." he pressed his paw against Mzingo's shoulder, forming the Lion Guard mark on it.

"What?" Mzingo quacked, losing his cool.

"Yes, it's a great honor, blah blah blah... I'll let you figure out your own title. Now tell me, why did you come back so soon?"

Mzingo stared at the symbol, gawping in a mixture of shock and fear. He had _never_ wanted or expected this. With the mark of the Lion Guard on him, Mzingo would be tethered with Scar's plot as long as he lived. If it somehow didn't work, there was no talking out of it now. "Merely wanted to make sure everybody knows what they're doing. You know these people as well as I do, Sire. It's hard for them to follow orders." he said, trying to hide his distaste from the lion.

"They'll follow my orders or they'll follow this egret. Return to your post." Scar left Mzingo behind him and returned his gaze to Pride Rock. Simba would be here any minute...

* * *

Simba let out a breath of relief as they finally arrived back to Pride Rock. At first, he had tried to keep up his "kingly image" and walk all the way back on his own four paws, but hours of running overruled vanity and Nala had supported him the rest of the journey.

He couldn't wait to be back in the cosy part of the den he shared with his beloved mate, enjoying a fine bit of meat and taking a well-deserved nap after that. "Definitely taking the rest of the day off." he told Nala with a firm smile.

Strolling out of the den casually, Bunga lit up with his usual wide smile as he saw Simba approach with the rest of the pride. "Hey, you're alive! Awesome!" He pointed backwards at the entrance. "I've been renovating your den!"

Nala turned his head towards the huntresses trailing them. "Kula, can you please make sure our den won't collapse on us before we go in?"

"I'm on it!" A voice called out from the crowd and one of the lionesses went to inspect Bunga's handiwork.

"Have you seen Kion? He destroyed the monster, didn't he?" Simba asked from the honey badger.  
Bunga nodded frantically, simply _dying_ to tell the King of Kion's amazing plan. "You are not gonna believe this, Simba! He actually went and opened a portal to the Land Below!"

All of Simba's exhaustion disappeared and he rose to full height. "He did _what_?!"

"I know, right?! He said that the only person who could stop the demon was..." Bunga turned silent and began staring into the distance. Soon enough, everyone looked there too and saw a lone lion cub emerged from the bushes.

* * *

The cub looked like Kion from a distance... but as he walked closer, the Pridelanders saw the horrible red trench going down his forehead, across the eye and ending on his cheek.  
He also carried with him a wicked grin and an unmistakable air of superiority. But worst of all were the eyes... everyone remembered Kion's warm, friendly amber color. They had been replaced with a poisonous, glowing green.

Scar stopped, staring down his nephew.

"No..." Simba whispered.  
"Well, you must be surprised to see me... alive." Scar deadpanned.

Simba drew in a breath and looked towards his pride, who appeared as dumbfounded as he was. Nala in particular, looked afraid... for the first time Simba could remember since their adventure in the Elephant Graveyard. And the King himself was too.

It wasn't Scar that frightened him. He knew what Scar was. But it wasn't Scar who so maliciously smiled at him now. It was _Kion_. Through some way or another, the blackened, spiteful soul of his uncle had taken possession of his son.

"How is this possible?" Simba asked, gritting his teeth. "You're dead. I watched you burn and be torn apart by your hungry hyenas. Your bones still lie at the bottom of Pride Rock!"

Scar pretended to be surprised. "Really? I must remember to pay my respects." he said flippantly. "Well, in any case, it's so lovely to see you all again. Looking good, Simba! And Nala... mmm. Age has most definitely been kind to _you_." Nala shuddered, hearing the distinctly lustful tone in his son's stolen voice. This was vile, even by the standards of someone like Scar.

"What do you want from us? The throne's long lost to you." Simba asked.

Nala growled and stepped in front of the king. "Never mind about that. What did you do with Kion?! Is he still alive?!"

"Mmm... no. No, I'm afraid that's it for your line, Simba." Scar said, in a mockingly sad tone. "I _am_ here for the throne... and I have the strength to back up my words. Out you come!"

* * *

Suddenly, the pride heard mad cackling behind them. It was Janja, and his band of hyenas who stood on the ridge of Pride Rock with smug expressions on their faces. Janja began to sing:

 _"Don't look at us that way!  
We're hungry folks, like you!  
_ _Except we've been pushed,  
and now we're here to stay! On OUR turf!"_

The waters surrounding Pride Rock quickly disappeared under the masses of crocodiles who flooded out of it, led by Makuu, who took over the song

 _"You've had this Rock long enough!  
_ _We could all do with a change...  
no more circles, no more guards!  
the crocs are outta the cage! Onto OUR turf, boys!_

As the crocodile army freely crawled onto the land, snapping their jaws, and the hyenas came from Pride Rock itself, the lions tried to go left, only to be confronted by a pack of malevolent leopards, led by their toughest, Makucha and Mapigano.

With his growling, dark voice, Makucha sang:

 _"It's the law of the jungle,  
_ _it's all for the taking!"_

Mapigano continued:

 _"Just stand right there...  
_ _we can see that you're quaking! So... get off our turf!_

The disturbed lionesses snarled and clawed at the air, almost tempted to try and break out. Simba was no exception. He growled and motioned for the lionesses to listen to him. "On my mark, strike out! The hyenas may be the weak spot..."

Before he could finish though, jackal pups popped out of the ground like moles, preventing the pride from moving forward out of fear of hurting them in the stampede. Two familiar adult jackals strolled in front of Simba's pride, and with a friendly smile, Reirei let loose a melodic tune...

 _"But please be careful, just think of the children!"_

"Don't you make new ones like all the time?" Goigoi quizzed. His mate whacked him on the head.

 _"Your kindness will be its own reward."  
_ Her kindly voice turned malicious.  
 _"_ _And when our pups grow to size, and you hear your cubs' cries...!  
You can always say: ...but I was nice!"  
_  
Scar laughed maniacally and approached slowly as the noose around the pride tightened.

 _"Tell them, my villains, tell this prejudiced pride  
_ _all the words and all the plans that we tried, and be snide!  
_ _... This is OUR turf! And we've been_ prepared..."

This was followed by uncontrolled screams of rage and glee, as the vicious animals relived their worst... and expressed them.

 _"Tonight we strike!"_

" _Jackal style!"_

 _"Get them outta the way!"_

 _"All hail the vultures!"_

 _"Chow them down!"_

 _"Make them panic and run!"_

 _"Ha! We've made them a meal!"_

Scar's thoughts drifted to his loyal follower, Zira. _"This... is my lullaby! MY TURF!"_ The madness of King Scar knew no bounds.

* * *

"You'll get this Rock over my dead body, Scar." Simba snarled at the cub. "I can't kill you while you're in my son's body, but you know every lion here is willing to fight til the last blooddrop."

Scar appeared to be surprised. "Fight? Kill? You've always been such a violent little rascal, you know that? I'm not going to dignify your claim to my throne by fighting over it! Pfft! No, you're going to give it to me... and Nala, of course... to warm my bedside, hm-mmm."

"I'd rather slash my own throat." Nala met Scar's sneer with an icy, defiant stare.

The latter rolled his eyes. "And leave your mate and helpless little Kiara alone in the wide world? I don't think so... where is Kiara anyway?" He looked around exaggeratedly. "We haven't seen Kiara in this little tale yet, have we?"

Nobody answered him.

"Oh, I suppose I must do all the talking again." Scar shrugged. "That's alright, I like that... Kiara is in heat. Our mutual friend Mzingo found her wandering around, probably looking for her own hyena to 'feel the love' with."

Simba was confused. "What?"

"Buuuut never mind about that now... I have Kiara and the second that I don't get _exactly_ what I wish, a vulture will fly into the air, signalling a monkey sitting riiight on top of that tree over there." He pointed at an old, gnarled tree that they could barely see, near the dark area of the Elephant Graveyard.

"... who will begin to screech, thus alerting the snakes in a certain bush, who will hiss, reminding a blind old aardwolf to scare away a nearby bluebird from her nest, whom Mzingo will spot and thus will know to drop the cub into the canyon... I call it a 'telegraph'."

Bunga crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow. "And how long did it take for you to come up with that?"

"Bite me."

The honey badger grinned. "Okay!" And before anyone could stop him, ran up to the possessed lion cub and bit him hard on the paw.

"AAAAAARGHH!" Scar yelped and began to Roar before suddenly stopping and grabbing his throat. "Get away from me!" He screamed and slapped Bunga away.

"Uncle, you should know better than to play with honey badgers." A new voice said. Turning around in fury to attack whoever said the humiliating comment, Scar was faced with the council of kings, Tama... and Kopa.

* * *

"Vijana?" Scar said.

The ferocious, scrawny King grinned to his face, and stood next to Kopa. He looked like one of Reirei's pups, so excited that he was almost bouncing up and down. "I'm afraid your Majesty has a contender to the throne... ladies and gents, allow me to present Kopa! Son of the soon-to-be-late King Simba and this beauty over here."

Tama waved sarcastically, also trying to contain laughter as she saw Nala's expression.

"As the eldest son, and also the only available candidate with a genuine claim to the throne... if I do say so myself, Kopa will..."

Said lion interrupted him. " _Not_ challenge anyone for the throne. Your Majesty..." Kopa bowed before Simba and Nala. "Forgive this charade. I merely used it to find out what these traitors to your kingdom were planning. However... my... blood is yours... and I will stand by you against these invaders."

Simba pushed him up and nodded silently, and Kopa moved besides him and smiled nervously at Nala, who seemed to be staring off into the distance.

Scar sent the other lion kings a bored glance. "Well, if you want my blessing back, just kill the bloody moron and move over here."

Before he even finished the sentence, Vijana bolted, forcing the other elder kings to chase after him. Scar moaned and facepawed. "Idiots. Why do I always get the idiots? You've heard my ultimatum, Simba. Now _run_... run away... never return. I presume you remember the way?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Happy Halloween to you all!_

 _The next chapter is entitled "A Kupatana Carol" and will be released on the 25th of December. In the meantime, I'll get into writing all your lovely oneshot ideas, the winner of which will get a ten-chapter spin-off story!_

 _*FanficFan920 - You betcha!_

 _*Dragonasaurus(Chapter 27) - You probably just ran into a word limit.  
_  
 _19\. Already replied to this!_

 _20\. I've always thought the Lion King takes place in present day(or the 90s at least) and the Timon & Pumbaa spin-off definitely points in that direction as well. But no, I have no intention of bringing a human presence in, I dislike the concept. The Egyptian angle was just something that popped into my head when I found out what kind of snake Ushari was. I needed a clever way for Kion to communicate with the dead and that seemed to fit the bill._

 _21\. Your name's great. As I already mentioned somewhere, my favourite element is water._

 _22\. Well, most villains think he or she is a hero. It's all a matter of perspective._

 _23\. Indeed not, they're going with him._

 _24\. Well, I'm pretty sure Simba wouldn't want people to just die fighting for him over an unnecessary debate about who should be King. This is an exception, since we're talking about Scar here._

 _*Juria - Really? Holy shit right back at ya! I hope this chapter lived up to the potential._

 _*zootopiafan - I don't want to upset you, but since I only have one more "canon" chapter in mind before the end of the year, you might have to wait until January for Kiara's appereance..._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - For the soul transfer to work, Scar had to fulfil his part of the bargain. He dissipated the Beast in exchange for Kion's body._

 _*Dragonasaurus (Chapter 28) - I can't even guess what you'll say about this chapter, so I'll just skip to the questions!_

 _1\. RIP Ono. :(_

 _2\. EVERYONE... well, except Zira. I'm saving Zira..._

 _3\. Crikey, you're right! I'll sort that out in due time._

 _4\. You think he has even more kids lying around somewhere?_

 _5\. I highly doubt Ushari's going to the same place Kion is... remember, there are multiple Lands where you can end up to._

 _6\. Lol, I still like Tiifu and Zuri. I do hope they develop a little though._

 _7\. Spoilers..._

 _8\. Vijana knew all along. That's why Kopa was so heartbroken when he found out what Vijana's complete plan was. The idea was to replace the "unreliable" Scar with someone whom Vijana could control, hence giving him power over the whole "villain pride"._

 _9\. We're simply called fanfiction writers. And thank you very much... even though I've never really liked the way I write. I guess that's just me being overcritical of my works again._

 _10\. This will be addressed in the next chapter._

 _11\. The Beast was pure magic... it had no body nor soul._

 _12\. :D_

 _13\. Prides aren't really that big. I don't think Kion really has any lion friends. He, Kiara, Tiifu and Zuri seem to be the only cubs around. Lion prides are like reverse hyena prides: one male and a bunch of lionesses. There are exceptions of course, but that's the way it seems to be in the show._

 _14\. I have an Eastern European accent, mixed with British and American(from watching so many TV shows and films)._

 _15\. Both parts have been confirmed... Zira is coming back too, although with a different actress. I plan to upload a full reaction video to it on Youtube when the episode is available online._


	31. Author's Note 2

Just wanted to remind you guys that the prompt contest is only going to last until the very end of this month! If you haven't sent me your idea for a chapter yet, now's the time. EVERY suggestion will be used, unless you send me more than one. Everybody only gets one chapter, to make it fair. These will be released periodically throughout December.

The next chapter of Mkuu Na Ombaomba is going to be out in the 25th of December, and yes, it's going to be an extra-long Christmas(Kupatana) special! Things you can look forward to:

1) A focus on Kion and Jasiri. After everything that's happened, I think it's only fair that we get back to what it's all about... our beloved interspecies romance. :D How is Kion going to appear, you may ask? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out! It's not gonna be a sad reunion, is all I'm saying!

2) An appereance from the original hyena trio, and their thoughts on the next generation.

3) Kopa and Kiara getting used to being siblings, and missing Kion.

4) Ono's funeral. :(

5) Janja's clan switching sides.

6) How exactly Kopa's reveal has affected Simba and Nala's relationship.

7) The return of Harry the Hedgehog(or is he a porcupine...?).

8) The Kupatana Guard compensating for the loss of Kion and Ono.

9) Bunga's song.

10) Kopa getting a love interest.

So there's that. I'm gonna try and work hard to make this the bestest best chapter yet, so it'd be a nice proper Christmas present to all of you great fans out there. It's not "Lions of the Outlands", but I swear it'll be good! In the meantime, keep those reviews coming and send me a prompt if you want to see your own little story in the Mkuu universe!


	32. Sneak Peek 2016

**"A KUPATANA CAROL" SNEAK PEEK**

* * *

"Ooooo-oooo!" Shenzi waved her transparent paws overdramatically. "I'm a ghoooost!"

"Yeah, I kinda got that part." Jasiri deadpanned. "Shenzi, what do you _want_?!"

Shenzi stopped and looked down on the smaller hyena with a grin. "Well, let me put it this way to ya, girl... you done wrong, and mommy's gotta knock some sense into ya."

" _Mommy_? You're not my mom!"

The hyena rolled her eyes. "Do ya even know how hyenas work? I swear, kids these days... it works like this: you got one big kahuna female(that's me, by the way!). Then you got your boys."

Suddenly, another ghostly apparition appeared and fell flat on his face as if knocked away from someplace. He quickly recovered, and got up. "And that's me!" he shouted.

Shenzi scowled. "Banzai?! What the-? What are you doing here?! Don't tell me you brought..."

A third hyena ghost was knocked into the scene, looking quite maniacal, with lazy eyes, and holes in his ears suggesting several scuffles in the past. Shenzi facepawed. "...Ed." Ed howled with laughter.

Banzai looked apologetic. "Sorry, Shenzi, we just noticed you were going and..."

"And you decided to tag along?! This is girl time, go haunt somebody else!" Shenzi said and pushed Banzai away, making him fall onto Ed, who pushed him onto the ground. "Ow!" Banzai moaned and noticed Jasiri. "Oh hey, is this one of yours?"

Jasiri scowled. "No! No-no-no, I _remember_ my mother!"

"You remember your babysitter." Shenzi explained. "I couldn't very well look after every single little brat I spawned, so that's where the other females came into the picture. Weaker ones. But you're all mine. You and Janja and Chungu..."

Ed began frantically motioning and laughing.

"Yes, Ed, and Cheezi too." The hyena matriarch finished with a smug smile. "But to get back to the point... I'm here to tell you now... you gotta put the clan back together again. And to do that, you need to beat the snot outta your brother."

Jasiri scoffed. "Why would I want to do that?! That's your clan and your hyenas, who chase Scar's tail all day! I'm trying to find a way to get my mate back!"

All three hyena ghosts burst into united, crazed laughter. Jasiri gritted her teeth in irritation.

"Oh-oh-oh, you mean your lion boyfriend?!" Banzai hollered. "Is it those manes? I bet it's those manes! HAAA-HAHAHA!" he screamed.

Shenzi shook her head. "Nah, I think he's the only one she could get it _ki_ -on with! Pfft!"

"Just get lost, all of you! I don't need your help, okay!" Jasiri yelled and turned around to walk away. All three materialised in front of her. "Youuu ain't getting rid of us so easily, baby!" Shenzi announced in a more friendly tone. "See, luck took a day off and left you as the only surviving female of the clan and that means... you're our clan's future."

Ed snorted.

"Shut up, Ed. And if you can't see the value in our clan..." an evil grin spread over Shenzi's mouth. "... then we just gotta show ya, don't we?"


	33. PROMPT 1

**PROMPT CONTEST CHAPTER 1/8**

" **remember how in return of the roar, Kion remarks "dad we already had** **that talk remember, can you feel the love tonight, I already know about all that** **mushy stuff." I've wonder ever since i saw what that conversation would have looked** **like." - zootopiafan**

* * *

If there was anything Simba had grown to respect and love more and more since taking on the responsibility and burden of being a King, it was sleep. Settling down on the royal platform in the den beside his dear mate was one of the few times he didn't have to pretend to be this great, wise leader everyone seemed to think he was. Time to rest and dream...  
which is why it was really annoying, when his young cub insisted on gnawing on his ear. "Dad!" Kion hissed. "Dad, come on! I need your help!"  
 _No, you don't._ Simba thought wearily, without moving or opening his eyes. _Please go back to sleep._

"Dad!" Kion shouted and leaped onto the lion king's back, jumping up and down.

Nala stirred a little, grinning without opening her eyes. "Simba..."

Simba growled softly and wearily opened his eyes. "Kion, what is it?" The lion cub beamed, seeing his father finally stop being lazy, and ran off. "Come on, dad! I need to talk to you, now!"

"Can't we talk here? It's nice... and warrrrm..." Simba closed his eyes.

"Hmph!" Kion dashed back and began rapidly patting against Simba's head with his paws. "Dad! Come on now, there's no time!"

Nala opened her eyes and rested her head on the palm of her paw, watching the whole thing with amusement. "I don't think you're getting out of this." she said.

Simba rolled his eyes and grimaced as Kion sat on top of him. "Oh, alright then. But if I fall asleep during any important meetings..."

"Then you're not allowed to blame me." She poked at Simba with her nose.

"Right." He grumbled and carried his hyperactive son outside.

* * *

"Alright, little guy..." Simba started and picked Kion up from his head, with one paw. The cub was astonished as always by his father's incredible strength. "What's going on here?"

"Um..." Kion began to mumble. He'd been so sure about what he wanted to say up until this point, but now it finally hit him that it sounded really awkward. "Well, I have this really good friend..."

"Let me guess: Ukweli?" Simba guessed. The notoriously free-spirited lioness cub had been adopted into the pride a few months ago, and had quickly become partners in crime with Kion. A few naysayers had suggested that she was a bad influence on the prince. Those naysayers had not been born yet when Simba dragged Nala to the Elephant Graveyard.

"Yeah... and I think she's so great. She's the coolest friend I've _ever_ had." Kion felt hotter as he thought about her... Ukweli, with her golden pelt and bitten batwing-ears, was this strange, lovable mixture of rough and perfect. She was always enthusiastic, even when in trouble. _Especially_ when in trouble. She loved being bad and he loved being bad with her.  
"I just... don't know how to tell her I like her. A lot."

"Why don't you just go tell her you like her... a lot?" Simba suggested.

Kion snorted. "Yeah, that wouldn't be weird at all." He grabbed his head with both paws in frustration. "Arrgh! I just... want... to be with her! All the time. Why is that so hard?! How did you and mom figure this out?"

"By not pushing it. We fell in love when the time was just right, and we both felt the same way. There weren't any words, we just... mated." Simba explained patiently.

"And how did that happen?"

Simba shrugged. "Well, we hadn't seen each other for a long time, so we started hugging... a lot. A lot of hugging. I think we also rolled down a hill. Still hugging. Then she, uh..." he stopped.

Kion frowned. "She what?"

"Well... you know..." he waved his paw vaguely.  
"Tell me."

Now it was the lion king's turn to feel the heat. "L-licked... me... and more hugging. Oh yeah, and we sang a song together." he remembered.

"Wait, what?" Kion cringed. "You sang a _song_ together?"

"It... seemed logical at the time..." Simba stammered. When did he become the nervous one? "It was a good one, though... _can you feel the love tonight_...?" Simba sang softly with a fond expression.

Kion stared at him with a horrified expression. "Not anymore, I don't! I thought you were gonna teach me how to make cubs or something!"

"Oh, that's easy. You just take that dangly thing below your stomach and thrust into her til she goes 'oooohhhh!'" Simba said, deadpanning.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _One out, seven more to go, plus the Christmas special on the 25th! I have an amazing talent for giving myself an enormous workload despite knowing full well that I'm a lazy bugger whose lifelong dream is to become a pensioner._

 _*Fanfic920 - I wanted all of the villains coming together to be a pretty shocking sequence, the culmination of his and Mzingo's plan. Max Charles talking like Jeremy Irons would be... interesting. Probably entertaining as hell, actually. Can we call Ford Riley about that?_

 _*God of the Challenge - Seriously._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - I'm sure he'll nag people about animal facts in the afterlife._

 _*Guests - Please... let's just let that gorilla rest in peace. For real._

 _*Guest - News travel fast in the Pride Lands. All Jasiri wants Kion to do is go around and announce it to the animals he sees. Like "hey guys, it's me, guess what, me and this hyena are a thing!"_

 _*Juria - Shenzi being Jasiri's mom is just one of those little nice things that tie the universe together._

 _*Guest - This time, the hyenas are only a negligible part of his army. Remember, Janja's clan isn't actually that big, like 7 or 8 hyenas at most._

 _*zootopiafan (Chapter 29) - It started out as a romantic little fic and it's basically become my reinvention of the entire show, lol. Scar's return in particular was something that I was writing in my mind for literally months. I don't see what you mean by that comment about Zira though. She's not part of Scar's army, she's still in the Outlands. The only lions who are with Scar are the kings from the other Prides.  
_

 _*zootopiafan (Chapter 30) - In the Christmas special, we're going to jump a little bit ahead and see how the pride is recovering from all of the crazy events lately. Also, I hope you enjoyed the way I wrote your prompt!_

 _*Guest - Thank you!_

 _*zootopiafan (Chapter 31) - You and me both..._

 _*Guest - *in Scar's voice* "You have no idea..."_

 _*Guest - Yep, it's inspired by Dickens..._

 _*Guest - Lol, I thought it was a funny line..._

 _*Guest - Nothing's wrong with me, apparently this is really how hyenas work. I'm not saying Shenzi gave birth to every single hyena in the clan though. Some of them are conquered hyenas of other clans, and some are adopted and so forth. Every time a hyena gives birth, though, she gives birth to a litter. Those cubs would be the most protected, hence it makes sense that they were the ones who survived the events of the original movie.  
The line means that Kion was the only one she could "get it on with", which means engage in sexual activity with._


	34. PROMPT 2

**PROMPT CONTEST CHAPTER 2/8**

 **"name obsidian colord black middle red tail black head and red wings, height 60 feet high 50 feet long background he is over 100 years old and has protecd the out lands and pride lands for 50 years making sure no human was able to get to the pride lands eventually went into a deep sleep for 30 years but when kioon and the lion guards where fighting hyenas he used the roar to send them flying but thee roar missed and travled into the cave for 30 seconds nothing happend befor a roar 20x louder sending them all back before obsidian comes out of the cave growling at the guard and hyenas before roaring again and flying off towards the outlands" - the core of justice**

 **(Author's Note: He means a dragon.)**

* * *

"Oh, gimme a break!" Janja shouted angrily whilst running. "It was just a zebra leg!"  
"I only took a zebra leg too!" Cheezi whined after him.  
"Me too!" Chungu added. They were all fleeing from the Lion Guard, over the grassy fields.

"That would make three zebra legs." Bunga smugly pointed out. He was riding on top of Beshte to make up for his little legs. Kion glared fiercely at the three hyenas. "I've told you more than once to s _tay out of the Pride Lands_! What will it take for you to learn that lesson?" He shouted, and continued the pursuit.

Janja snarled. "Oh, I dunno, a zebra leg?"  
"That's not gonna happen, Janja!" Kion said. At that point, they got to a ridge. The hyenas all leapt downhill, hoping to lose the Lion Guard inside the canopy and make their way to a nearby mountain.

Kion held up his paw, and the Lion Guard stopped at the ridge, right behind him. The cub groaned. "If I don't do something now, he's just gonna keep coming back."

Fuli grinned sarcastically. "Maybe if we ask nicely?"  
"Maybe if we ask roughly?" Jasiri grinned back.

"Wait, I know!" Bunga leaped off of Beshte's back and faced Kion. "You scared them off the first time when you used the Roar!"

Kion frowned. "Yeah, but they're already used to it by now. I don't think it scares them anymore."

"But that was just the first time you used the Roar." Bunga explained. "And it was cool and all, but in hindsight, a pretty weak effort. Now you know how to make it..." he vaguely gestured with his paws. "... make it rain and stuff! My point is, try a _bigger_ Roar! Much bigger!"

Kion shrugged. "I suppose I could try..." he turned back to the canopy that the hyenas had disappeared into and loudly announced: "Hyenas! If you won't leave the innocent herds of the Pride Lands alone, I've got no choice, but to use the full power of the Roar against you!"

There was no reply.

"Alright then..." Kion said and unleashed the Roar against the land. As usual, the clouds formed the shapes of his forefathers, and a powerful wind blew towards the little valley in front of the mountain, tearing the trees out of the ground and the three panicking hyenas with it.

 **BOOM!**

The earth _shivered_ under Kion's own paws and he stopped, letting the hyenas fall down together into a pile of dirt and leaves.

Kion turned and looked at his Guard, who were all as puzzled as he was. "Was... that supposed to happen?" Jasiri asked.

 **BOOM!**

Now the ground quaked so hard that the whole Guard collapsed, and the ridge broke under their weight, sending them tumbling down into the mess of sand, broken tree trunks and branches and leaves in the valley.

"What's going on?!" One of the hyenas shrieked in the distance.

Kion crawled out of the dirt and gripped onto one of the trees for support. Ono(who had managed to avoid the disturbances thanks to his wings) flew down to him. "Kion! It's coming from the mountain!" he yelled. "Look at the mountain!"

"Why?" Bunga wiped dust out of his hair. "What's at the mountain?"

All of the Lion Guard simultaneously glanced at the mountain and saw that its peak was missing. Suddenly, the day turned pitch-black, with the exception of two red beams of light scanning the ground until literally glaring on the confused group of animals below. Kion heard a huge flapping sound from far above.

"Oh no!" Ono shouted in terror and hid underneath Beshte. Even Fuli lowered herself closer to the ground in awe.

The light only got brighter as the massive behemoth's maw opened and suddenly, apocalyptic fire blasted towards the Guard from the whole sky. Nobody had time to do anything, but scream... including Kion, who almost instinctively roared, and unlike all other occasions, didn't hold back as he was so afraid. The sheer power of the sound rammed into the flames and dispelled them, leaving the Lion Guard safe.

"Cool..." a wide-eyed Bunga mumbled. "I mean, not cool, cause it was actually hot, but you know... what is that anyway?"

"I've heard of them!" Ono cried. "A dragon!"

The dragon squinted his eyes and moved away, allowing the sunlight to touch the valley once again. As he landed next to them, the Lion Guard were able to get a better look at the enormous creature. He had a huge, spiked torso, with two oversized batwings on his back and a long, similarly armored tail that could've crushed them all with a single swish. His jaw was long and elongated, giving him a perpetually bemused look, and his eyes were burning red, like hot coal.

A few seconds later, the dragon spoke, in a soft, yet booming voice: "How did you do that?" he asked in a careful tone, looking at Kion.

"The Roar? Um, it's complicated."

The dragon smiled. "I'm sure it is. You're quite powerful for someone... so small."

Kion scowled and took a few steps closer to the beast. "Who are you? What are you doing here in the Pride Lands?"

"The Pride Lands?" The dragon pondered. "Is that what they call it now? For your information, I live here and..." before Kion could react, two of the dragons claws snatched him from the ground and held him so tight that he couldn't breathe. The dragon brought the cub to his eye level. "... I really don't like competition." He dropped Kion to the ground, knocking the breath out of him.

"Kion!" Jasiri yelled and ran to him, licking at his face to help him recover.

"Now go back to your lion king and tell him... Obsidian is _alive_. And hungry. Goodbye, little ones."

With a flap of his wings, Obsidian took off, causing a minor hurricane below. As soon as the dust cleared and the Guard could breath again, they looked at Kion for orders.

The lion cub gulped.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _I must apologise for this enormous delay between updates. I've been VERY pre-occupied this month, but fortunately, things will wind down in a week or so. I'm not sure anymore that I'll be able to get all of these prompt chapters out before A Kupatana Carol(which will be released on the 25th regardless). In any case, I hope you're all having a great December. Any snow? We haven't had much since November, bizarrely..._

 _*Carmen TM - Ukweli was Kion's childhood friend, as we saw in Chapter 15. However, these prompt chapters are currently_ _non-canon. I used the character of Ukweli to tie the prompt to the Mkuu universe better, just like Jasiri in this chapter. If that particular chapter should win the contest, I might change my mind, as I think it'd be a nice prequel._

 _*God of the Challenge - At what time?_

 _*Juria - Yeah, you're not the only one with exams... this relieves me as much as it does you. :D_

 _*zootopiafan - Aw, I'm so glad you liked it! I'm pretty sure Kion and Jasiri are going to mate again, yes. With Scar's soul, it'd be a sort of spiritual threesome, lol. Not sure about the other characters right now, although I would place bets on Kopa and Fuli._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Uh... good interesting or bad interesting?_

 _*Lord demon - Did you get that first riddle from the Hobbit?_


	35. A Kupatana Carol

Jasiri hadn't wanted to believe it, but there was no denying who the owner of the faded yellow beak and dirtied white feathers was. As temporary leader of the Kupatana Guard, it was her awful duty to put her fallen teammate to rest. Sometimes, people said that such events felt like dreams, but what made it so awful to Jasiri was how clear it all was. Just another day in the Outlands, except Ono was dead.

Yes, the Outlands. As Scar usurped the throne for a second time, he had immediately forced all of Simba's loyal followers out of the Pride Lands with the sole exceptions of Nala and Zazu. This basically meant that all the lions had gone to live in the volcanic wastes where the hyenas used to dwell, along with a number of loyal herd animals, most notably the surviving members of the Kupatana Guard.  
They all knew what had happened with Kion, but Ono's disappearance remained a mystery until they finally agreed on dispatching Harry the Currently Unidentified Mammal to find out what was going on in Scar's kingdom. Poor Harry was not particularly enthused, but he was the only one in the pride whom nobody would ever suspect as a spy. And near Ushari's home, he'd found what was left of the brave egret.

"But I wasn't the only one there." Harry had said in a grave voice, nervously chewing on a nut. "Some lion had broken Ushari's boulders apart. Not anyone I know. He looked like he had hyena blood in him or something, no offense Jasiri. An utter lunatic, is what I mean. He ran away as soon as he saw me."

Jasiri knew the Kupatana Guard had to remain strong if they were going to save Kion. How she even knew Kion could still be saved, the hyena had no idea. For all intents and purposes, the prince was dead, and his body monstrously defiled by the spectre of his evil uncle. Nevertheless, she just _knew_. It's as if Kion was still with her somehow, telling her to fight on. And there was nothing Jasiri wanted to do more. So to that end, she'd found replacements for Kion and Ono in the Guard: Kopa and Kiara.

After Scar's takeover, Mzingo had released Kiara without bargain in a moment of unexpected kindness, and Kopa finally had a chance to demonstrate his heat cure with the help of Rafiki. That, coupled with his willingness to side with the King against all odds had earned the prodigal son a position in the Guard as the fiercest. As for Kiara, her good eyes made up for her slightly obstinate nature. Plus, as soon as she returned and heard the news, the cub had simply begged Jasiri to let her be a member of the team, even if she was first heir to the throne. And whilst Kula, who led the huntresses in Nala's absence, heavily disagreed with her, not wanting to risk Simba's sole remaining heir, she didn't have the authority to deny Kiara the position either. Only Simba himself could do that, and he... was not in good shape.

Nala had refused to speak with him from the moment that the truth of Kopa's heritage had come out, and whilst nobody would dare say the proud lioness had joined Scar, she hadn't bothered to fight either. The loss of his mate, the apparent death of his cub and his own failure as the Lion King had crushed Simba and he had fallen into utter apathy about their fate. Neither insults nor japes would stir him to do anything, but wallow in self-pity, and so Kula had taken over the job of shepherding the Pridelanders in exile.

* * *

Jasiri stepped forward and placed a fresh clay stone with the lion symbol of the Kupatana Guard next to Ono's remains. The entire pride had emerged to pay tribute to the little white bird who'd done his duty as their protector, even Simba, though he stayed far away from the others and didn't answer any questions.  
As such, Jasiri began to speak herself:

"Today we pay our respects to Ono, the Keenest of Sight in the Pride Lands, a loyal member of the Kupatana Guard defending us all from dawn until dusk. I never had a chance to know him too well, but Kion chose him, knowing that he'd never let us down. And he never did."

After saying her piece, she left the funeral, not wanting to get in the way of Ono's true mourners and decided to go for a walk within the canyon where Simba's pride now resided. Jasiri nodded to a pair of lioness guards keeping an eye out for Scar's followers and walked past them. The funeral had set her in a melancholy mood and she wanted to be alone, far away from any eyes or ears.

The moon shone brightly tonight, and Jasiri had no trouble finding the path to her old caves. There, she collapsed onto the dusty floor as she used to after a tiresome day and stretched her legs out.

"Kion..."

He wasn't dead. It was just plain fact in her heart. But that didn't prevent her from missing him... so much!

"I don't know where you are, but I want you to come back." she whispered. "This isn't fair."

Instinctively, she stopped talking, desperately hoping to hear his voice, somehow... and then lightning struck!

And in the flashes of bright light, a four-legged shadow appeared before Jasiri, making her leap up in shock. It was a hyena... a far bigger and well-fed adult, with bangs of black fur over her eyes and an expressive face currently contorted into a wicked smile. She stood on top of her bottom hind legs and spread out her upper legs in a melodramatic fashion.

"Back from the dead, baby! YEAH!"

* * *

As Ono's family of egrets took his remains for a final, private flight, Kopa sighed and began to ponder what to do next. Due to the special, sad occasion, the Kupatana Guard had the day off. Initially, he thought they should've done the opposite instead, try and focus on getting some work done avenging poor Ono's demise and undermining Scar's regime somehow. So that's what he told Jasiri, only to be rebuffed with the most frightening argument ever:

"I don't know what to do, Kopa."

Without Simba, Kion or Nala, they were stumbling in the darkness. Their rogue pride was friendless and without magic to combat Scar's powers. Even Rafiki had admitted that he understood less about the Roar than he'd thought. Ushari might've been able to help, but he was now dead and his belongings had been stolen. So like everybody else, Kopa could do nothing, except wait and see.

As he pondered these dark thoughts, he noticed Kiara moping outside on a cliff overlooking a lava river. "Princess!" He called to get Kiara's attention. "You sure you want to be this close to turning into a pile of goo?"

She couldn't resist snickering. "I've been meaning to talk to you... Kopa?" He nodded, and sat down next to her.

"Yeah, I've wanted to do the same. So... sister and brother, huh?"

Kiara nuzzled him affectionately. "Thanks for cooking up that anti-heat potion. I owe you one." Kopa chuckled and gently pushed her away. "It was the least I could do. Your pride's been more than kind to me, considering everything that happened at Pride Rock."

The lioness cub frowned. "I don't think it's your fault. It wasn't anybody's fault, really. Well, I guess my dad should've told mom about you, but that's about it. I wonder what happened between him and Tama."

Kopa snorted. "He and my mom are probably the least talkative lions in any pride. We'll never know for sure." He peeked down at the river of lava, only to be blasted with heat. "Ughh!" he shouted and pulled back. "This place is the worst hellhole I've ever been in. I can't believe you let people live here."

"We don't let people live here. The hyenas, and other exiles choose to be here because they think they can wrestle the Pride Lands away from us." Kiara explained. "I guess they were right."

Kopa comforted Kiara by draping a paw over her back. "We're going to get Pride Rock back, Kiara. I promise. And Kion too, if I have anything to say about it."

The latter gulped, overtaken by emotions. "My brother... I..."

"What?"

Kiara burst into tears. "I never even told him I loved him! He could be dead forever and I never told him!" she cried.

"Shh..." Kopa said and hugged Kiara. "You _will_ tell him. Jasiri says he's alive and I believe her. Why don't we meet her tonight and figure this all out together? It's about time, I think."

Kiara nodded. "We... we can't just sit around here. We need to come up with a plan."

* * *

"Ooooo-oooo!" Shenzi waved her transparent paws overdramatically. "I'm a ghoooost!"

"Yeah, I kinda got that part." Jasiri deadpanned. "Shenzi, what do you _want_?!"

Shenzi stopped and looked down on the smaller hyena with a grin. "Well, let me put it this way to ya, girl... you done wrong, and mommy's gotta knock some sense into ya."

" _Mommy_? You're not my mom!"

The hyena rolled her eyes. "Do ya even know how hyenas work? I swear, kids these days... it works like this: you got one big kahuna female(that's me, by the way!). Then you got your boys."

Suddenly, another ghostly apparition appeared and fell flat on his face as if knocked away from someplace. He quickly recovered, and got up. "And that's me!" he shouted.

Shenzi scowled. "Banzai?! What the-? What are you doing here?! Don't tell me you brought..."

A third hyena ghost was knocked into the scene, looking quite maniacal, with lazy eyes, and holes in his ears suggesting several scuffles in the past. Shenzi facepawed. "...Ed." Ed howled with laughter.

Banzai looked apologetic. "Sorry, Shenzi, we just noticed you were going and..."

"And you decided to tag along?! This is girl time, go haunt somebody else!" Shenzi said and pushed Banzai away, making him fall onto Ed, who pushed him onto the ground. "Ow!" Banzai moaned and noticed Jasiri. "Oh hey, is this one of yours?"

Jasiri scowled. "No! No-no-no, I _remember_ my mother!"

"You remember your babysitter." Shenzi explained. "I couldn't very well look after every single little brat I spawned, so that's where the other females came into the picture. Weaker ones. But you're all mine. You and Janja and Chungu..."

Ed began frantically motioning and laughing.

"Yes, Ed, and Cheezi too." The hyena matriarch finished with a smug smile. "But to get back to the point... I'm here to tell you now... you gotta put the clan back together again. And to do that, you need to beat the snot outta your brother."

Jasiri scoffed. "Why would I want to do that?! That's your clan and your hyenas, who chase Scar's tail all day! I'm trying to find a way to get my mate back!"

All three hyena ghosts burst into united, crazed laughter. Jasiri gritted her teeth in irritation.

"Oh-oh-oh, you mean your lion boyfriend?!" Banzai hollered. "Is it those manes? I bet it's those manes! HAAA-HAHAHA!" he screamed.

Shenzi shook her head. "Nah, I think he's the only one she could get it _ki_ -on with! Pfft!"

"Just get lost, all of you! I don't need your help, okay!" Jasiri yelled and turned around to walk away. All three materialised in front of her. "Youuu ain't getting rid of us so easily, baby!" Shenzi announced in a more friendly tone. "See, luck took a day off and left you as the only surviving female of the clan and that means... you're our clan's future."

Ed snorted.

"Shut up, Ed. And if you can't see the value in our clan..." an evil grin spread over Shenzi's mouth. "... then we just gotta show ya, don't we?"

Banzai walked ahead of the other two, smirking as well. "I got this." He draped his paw over Jasiri's shoulders, though she couldn't feel anything. "Daddy and lil' Siri are gonna go on an adventure now."

* * *

As Banzai and Jasiri stood still, the entire world around them changed. Shenzi and Ed vanished, and the sun began whirling across the sky multiple times per second.

"Are we travelling in time?" Jasiri asked in awe.

"Well, sorta. It's a ghost thing, I don't remember." Banzai said dismissively.

Finally, the weather began to slow down again and the sun fixed itself at the top of the sky. It was the middle of the day now. Banzai took his paw off and looked around. "Alrighty then. Where are we?"

Jasiri sighed condescendingly. "We're still in the Outlands. We didn't actually physically move."

"Notice anything missing?" Banzai pointedly asked.

The hyena sniffed the air with her nose and pondered out loud. "I'm not smelling... anything, actually. Not even lions. I don't think _anybody_ is out here."

Banzai chuckled. "I'm not talking about anybody, I'm talking about us hyenas! This is the past, when we weren't always stuck in the middle of nowhere, scrouging for every little bit of meat!"

The Outlands around them disappeared and turned into the green, lush, lively plains of the Pride Lands. As Jasiri looked around, she saw many types of animals happily running by, some of them hyena cubs.

"This is before we even got into conflict with those lions. When they just let us chill on their territory cause we ate up all their scraps."

Jasiri frowned. "So what went wrong? How _did_ we end up fighting with the lions?"

"Ah, the same way we always start our fights." Banzai said in a surly tone. "From a petty argument. Point is, it all went dooooownhill faster than a cheetah with a fire up his butt."

The picture around them turned grim... hordes of lions and hyenas tearing into one another, loudly screaming obscenities about each other's faults.

"Until..." Banzai waved his paw.

Jasiri stood atop of Pride Rock amidst smoke as a younger King Simba threw Scar down to her bitter clan, unintentionally distracting them with revenge and hunger until the flames were right upon them.

"It was a _hell_ of a meal." Banzai quipped as Jasiri stared in horror.

* * *

Kopa felt relieved as he noticed the huntresses dragging in a pair of gazelles. In the Outlands, food was so scarce as to be non-existent. It made Kopa nearly pity Janja's clan for what they had to go through to live here. Fortunately, some of the animals sought refuge here from Scar's predator army, unaware that Simba's pride had become almost equally hungry. And on good days like this, the pride got a whole mouthful of meat. Yeah, a whole mouthful. They were that low on food.

He had to wait though. Despite having proven his loyalty to Simba, the pride was still somewhat unsure what to make of him, and with the royal family pretty much out of the equation aside from Kiara, Kopa didn't have that many animals to vouch for him. He could've proven his superiority through strength like newcomer lions often did in other prides, but felt it was unwise to upset them all at this perilous time. Besides, that would've meant taking on the role of a leader, which he knew wasn't meant for him, at least not here.

So he stood patiently and let the lionesses pass him by. One of them, a youngster with a dark brown pelt, white belly and sparkling green eyes took notice of him and bowed amiably. "Happy Kupatana!" she smiled. Kopa awkwardly bowed as well. "Uh... happy Kupatana to you too... what does that mean, actually?"

The lioness stopped, dropping her jaw to the ground. "You don't know what Kupatana is?" she laughed. "It's only the most awesome party we Pridelanders have! There's gonna be food... and there's gonna be singing... and there's gonna be friends from all over the place and... like..." she began to dance and swirl around wildly like a ballerina.

 _I am so confused_. thought Kopa.

"Ta-da!" she shouted as she finished, balancing herself on her two front legs. "Like that! We're celebrating the Circle Of Life!" She tried to fall back on all fours, but landed on her back with a thump instead, causing her to giggle like a cub. "The name's Kati, by the way. I know you, you're the one all the girls have been talking about!"

Kopa rolled his eyes. "Oh really?"

She grinned obliviously, and got up from the ground. "Yeah, they all seem to think you look really yummy." Kati laughed. "I think you're cute, but you're not _edible_! That's... just really silly!"

"Well..." Kopa pondered. "Why don't we go for a walk and you can tell me all about Kupatana?"

Kati leapt into the air. "Sure! I'd love that!" She went to Kopa's side and their tails entangled almost immediately.

* * *

Jasiri circled the vision of Simba's younger self and stopped in front of him, glaring at the Lion King. "We forgot who we were... and then we forgot where we came from. But you didn't. You always knew. Why didn't you help us?"

"What, this dummy?" Shenzi said, pointing at Simba. "What could he have done? He didn't even know you existed until you were all grown up. And once he did, all he could remember was us mean hyenas following Scar and fighting his dad at the borders. What happened to us was a waterfall... no one is to blame for the past. However, you could help with the present."

"No." Jasiri shook her head. "I'm not a leader, I'm not..."

Jasiri and Shenzi were transported into the den inside Pride Rock, where they saw Janja and...

"Kion?" Jasiri moaned. The lion cub was engaged in a furious discussion with Janja and then suddenly turned around to face Jasiri, not being able to see her there. The latter backed away in utter terror. She'd heard of what Scar did, but not even in her worst nightmares could she have come up with _this_. The face of her true love being puppeteered by a callous, self-obsessed monster. It was a horrible parody of Kion, his voice and body completely enslaved to Scar's will.

"I will not permit hyenas inside this den." Scar stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, come on!" Janja whined. "We won this place back for you, remember? I personally kept us fighting every day after you died!"

"Why don't you die for me and we'll talk then? Thanks to your parents, I've had that experience." Scar said bitterly and turned around again to glare at him. "And I have no desire to ever sleep near one of _your kind_ again. So either keep your mutts outside... or... I'll show you exactly what this Roar can really do." He bared his teeth at Janja, causing the latter to back off. The hyena scowled, but left, followed by Jasiri and Shenzi's compassionate eyes.

Scar smiled creepily. "Thank you Tama, for letting me know. What would I ever do without you, hmm?"

Jasiri and Shenzi followed Janja outside, where they observed him try and explain Scar's decision to his underlings in a way that would leave him in positive light.  
"He tries, in his own way." Shenzi said. "But he needs guidance as much as they all do. They're pretty much the same sorry little hyena cubs they've always been. Looking for a female voice, even if they'd never admit it. But that's males for you. You know, I remember a time when Banzai lost his childhood rock..."

"Can we please not? I'm having a bit of an existential crisis over here." Jasiri deadpanned.

Shenzi grinned. "Still need some convincing, huh? I think I have just the guy for you. Ohhhh EEEEEDDDD!"

* * *

Once again, the sun began flashing across the sky, except that Jasiri was alone now. She clenched her jaw, waiting for the next horrible thing to pop up. Soon enough, the sun froze back into position and Jasiri lowered her head, mentally preparing herself. "I'm ready!" She declared to empty air. "I'm not scared, alright?"

There appeared to be no one outside so Jasiri wandered back into the Pride Rock den. And that's where she saw it. In the middle of the cave, right on the royal platform, was a huge pile of bones.

 _Hyena bones._

Forgotten and abandoned in the midst of cobwebs. Jasiri knew what it meant even without asking. That was the fate of her clan... should she fail to take back leadership from Janja.  
She closed her eyes, hoping to block out the image, but instead heard Ed's derisive, maniacal laughter inside her head.

"No..."

Jasiri opened her eyes again, but it only got worse. The cobwebs formed together in the shape of a laughing hyena skull, mocking her.

"NO!" She screamed and covered own head with her paws. This wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening, no, no, no!

 _This is only a vision. It's not real._ A sensible voice said in Jasiri's head.

The hyena opened her teary eyes to see the trio of ghosts once again in front of her. Shenzi smirked. "Gotcha."

Jasiri looked awkwardly at the ground and put her paws down. "I'm scared..." she whispered. "Leading the Guard is one thing, they're my friends. But I don't know how to lead hyenas."

Shenzi groaned. "I give up!"

Ed laughed... but for the first time, not in a mocking way, but in an almost kind, fatherly way that caught everyone's attention. The crazed hyena grinned and pointed behind Jasiri.

The latter turned around and felt her heart leap to her throat as she saw a familiar figure standing in front of the sunlight in an almost angelic fashion.

"Happy Kupatana, Jasiri." Kion said.

* * *

Tears filled Jasiri's eyes and she choked up. "K-Kion...?"

It wasn't exactly the Kion she remembered. This version had a mane going down his back and all over his head. He was also definitely taller than Jasiri now, and stronger too. But it _was_ him. No scar, no green eyes, no evil smile, just Kion.

"Yeah." Kion ran towards her with the intention to nuzzle his mate, but went through her. "Apparently still a ghost, though."

"But you're back!" Jasiri shouted in glee. "You're with me again. And don't you dare go away."

Kion gulped. "Yeah... about that... I kind of have to. It's the rules, you see. You don't even want to know how much I had to haggle to be allowed to see you. Things are complicated in the Netherworld." He smiled reassuringly. "But it's okay. I _know_ how to beat Scar. And how to come back."

"Well?" Jasiri asked.

He whispered something in her ear, causing Jasiri to perk up and try to hug Kion, only to fall through his ghost laughing. "Oh, but that's perfect!" she said. "We're gonna get you back and then we're going to finally tell everyone about us and then we're gonna go to the jungle for a big vacation and mate every day for a week and then eat melons, I've always wanted to try melons, buuuuuut I'm going off topic!"

Kion waited until Jasiri stopped and then said: "There's one more thing, Jasiri... I'm not here alone."

Jasiri cocked her head to the side. "Huh? What do you mean?"

The lion moved out of the way to reveal two little grey cubs wandering through the entrance. They focused on her immediately. "Mommy?" one of them asked with an innocent, curious tone. Jasiri stared at her mate, gawping. "Kion..."

"Time works differently there..." Kion explained. "It's not just ghosts of the past, but also of the future. They... wanted to come along and I couldn't say no. They're _our cubs_ , Jasiri."

"But you're a-..." Jasiri mumbled. "You're a-..."

"I don't know how." Kion said. "All I know is that they're the future. Our future."

Jasiri motioned for the cubs to come to her. "What's your names?" She asked. They giggled at that.  
"How should we know?" The female cub with the lighter tan asked. "You've got to give us names first!"

"I will. I promise. But right now... you're mommy's little miracles." Jasiri decided. "Are you mommy's little miracles?"

"YEAAAAH!" The cubs yelled and clapped and bounced.

Kion beamed, but then grimaced. "Ow! Guys, watch it! You're stepping on my tail-OW! What did I _just_ tell you?!" One of the cubs snapped onto his tail with his little teeth.  
"Okay, time out! Time out- NOOO, not the mane! NOT THE MANE!" The other one clawed onto his back, specifically his red hair. "Jasiri, little help here?"

Jasiri chuckled. "I'm sure you can handle a pair of unborn cubs."

Kion gritted his teeth. "If you say so." He grimaced as the girl tore at his mane and looked up, saddened. "I think... I think we're fading away now..."

"Happy Kupatana to you too, Kion. I'm coming to get you." Jasiri promised.

* * *

As her mate and cubs vanished, and the image of Pride Rock's den finally dissolved back into the grimy Outlands, Jasiri returned to the trio who mockingly feigned sleep behind her. "Is the soap opera over yet?" Shenzi mumbled with her eyes firmly shut. "Cause I'd like to switch to wrestling. I hear there's a sibling match scheduled for today."

Jasiri drew in a breath. She felt slightly nervous about the idea of confronting Janja this way. "Even if I agree to this - there's still the matter of getting past all of Scar's guards. I'm not as sneaky as Kula's huntresses."

"Why can't you use that vulture?" Shenzi suggested.

"Mzingo? But he's Scar's lackey."

All three of them snorted in unison. "Oh yeaaaah, yeah, sure! That bird is the most loyal follower in the savannah, ain't there no doubt about that!" Banzai sneered.

"Honey, even _we_ know that Mzingo switches sides about as often as we get hungry." Shenzi said with a patronising smile. Banzai interjected again: "But... we don't get hungry anymore. We're dead, remember?"

Shenzi pushed her mate away without even turning, and Banzai tumbled onto Ed, who shoved him off onto Shenzi. "Oof!" she yelped. Ed laughed.  
"Sorry, it was Ed-" Banzai started, but Shenzi merely knocked his and Ed's heads together and dusted her paws off, satisfied.

Jasiri ignored them. "It's as good as idea as any, I suppose. I mean, if there's one thing I think I can count on, it's Mzingo's ability to claw us all in the back. I just hope that goes for Scar as well."

Shenzi appeared satisfied. "Well, that's our work done then, I guess." She grabbed ahold of her unconscious mates and propped them up under her arms. "Final words: you're pathetic, weird and your taste in mates is just awful. Humbug on this stupid holiday for dragging me out of my cold, wet grave to play mentor for you dummies." She looked down at Banzai and Ed. "Have you two got something to say?"

"Ugh..." Banzai mumbled. Ed cackled a little even in an unconscious state. Jasiri began to wonder how they could even be unconscious, when they were dead. The Netherworld had some weird rules.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Shenzi said and quickly turned back to Jasiri as the trio began to dissipate, remembering something. "Oh wait, tell the meerkat I..."

* * *

Janja fumed as he sat down to gnaw on what was left of last night's catch. How bad could a day get? Not only was meat running low again, since the entire pride of crocodiles, jackals, leopards and other hyenas were rapidly consuming all the herds, but Scar kept getting on his nerves and freaking him out. For someone so legendary, he was a real disappointment when it came to getting things done.

So now, he and his hyenas just sort of hanged out in a damp, small cave _near_ Pride Rock(because the stupid lion - he made a mental note to think of a better insult - wouldn't even let him into the big cave that they'd spent their entire lives coveting). It was supposed to be their big prize and now Scar got it, because he was Scar.

 _Next time I try to take over the world, the dead stay dead._ Janja decided, sulking.

"Brother!" A clear voice broke through his train of thought. Janja got to his feet, confused, and looked at his fellow hyenas, who were as befuddled as he was.

 _That can't be..._

"Up here, furbrain!" Jasiri snapped in an uncharacteristically aggressive tone and Janja looked up, and saw his diminutive sister... standing on a cliff over the clan, in a strong, confident pose. Though Janja didn't know it, the cave the hyenas had occupied was actually the Kupatana Guard's den, and Jasiri had been able to get in through a secret back entrance.

Janja bared his teeth. "Oh, you've come to play with the big boys, have ya?"

"One big boy, actually. Don't tell me you're too afraid to tackle me on your own." Jasiri taunted, making the latter hyena growl. She had him, and they both knew it.

"I don't need... _anybody_... to help me." Janja muttered to his minions, who then stayed back and watched. "Bring it on, sis." he growled angrily. Jasiri leaped down from the cliff and landed on her feet, next to Janja who immediately tried to bite her. The former ducked out of the way and instead grabbed her brother into a tight headlock. Janja pushed back and pinned Jasiri onto the ground with his body weight.

However, Jasiri still held onto his head and despite wriggling, Janja couldn't get her to let go. As he fell to the side, Jasiri took advantage of the oppurtunity and climbed onto him, holding the hyena leader down with her paws. Seeing red now, Janja managed to push his sister off through sheer force of will.

"You don't stand a chance." Janja hissed. Cheezi waved at him. "Yeah, you tell her, Janja!" he cheered with Chungu. Janja rolled his eyes. "Shut up!" he said. "I'll make mincemeat out of her."

Jasiri breathed heavily, but was far from giving up. "You're gonna have to get me first! If you still want to be in charge after all this is over."

Janja squinted his eyes. "So _this_ is what's it all about. The little brat wants power, does she?" He began circling Jasiri. "I should've known. All that Circle Of Life baloney... getting cosy with Kion... what are you really after, Pride Rock?"

"What I want is to get these hyenas fed for once." Jasiri said, hoping to win the others' favour. She addressed them: "I heard you won. So why are you still hungry?"

Chungu scratched his head. "Janja, why are we still hungry?"

"Can it, lughead!" Janja yelled and rushed to attack Jasiri once again. The two wrestled for a while on the dusty floor, until Jasiri shoved Janja into the small pool in the middle of the den. As her brother flailed around in the water, disoriented, Jasiri jumped up to the platform and crashed onto him, finally immobilising him underwater.

Unable to breath, Janja thrashed about, trying desperately to force Jasiri off of him, but failed. Finally, Jasiri pulled his head out of the pool. "Give up?"

"Never!" Janja defiantly barked.

"Well, nobody cares, you lost either way." Ignoring Janja's struggles, Jasiri turned to the hyena clan. "He can't move. I win the battle. And now I'm in charge."

The hyenas looked at each other, not really sure what to think without Janja. "But... you're a girl." Cheezi said slowly. Jasiri rolled her eyes. "Who's stronger, you or Janja?" she asked.

"Janja's stronger than anybody!" Cheezi replied immediately, to which Jasiri responded to by merely motioning towards the helpless hyena leader with her head. The message was obvious. "Um... but I guess you can be in charge." he mumbled.

Jasiri grinned. "Nice." She finally released Janja, who jumped out of the pool and shook the water off of his body. "This is _my_ clan now, brother. You can leave if you want... but I'd be happy to keep you around. We're going to take Pride Rock back from Scar and after that, I can promise we'll all be much better off... once we start following some rules, that is. What do you say?"

Janja scowled, but thought about it. He hated Jasiri more than he ever had right now, but at the same time... this was an easy excuse to get away from Scar and his bossing around. And maybe, if he did enough good deeds for them, Simba's guard would be down and he could pull off whatever he wanted. Who knew what the future held? He could win the hyenas back again anytime if he wanted, he just knew it.  
The hyena leader simply nodded and walked off.

* * *

Now finally leader of her clan, Jasiri emerged from the Kupatana Guard's den and barked three times, signalling for the ugly vulture to emerge from the branches of a nearby baobab tree, where he'd been completely concealed.

"Bravo, job well done!" Mzingo said sardonically. "Now all you've got to do is dispel Scar's spirit, and convince all of his maddened predators to appreciate flowers and sunshine."

Jasiri gave him a sharp look. "I wouldn't be so full of myself if I were you. We may not be as harsh as Scar, but you're digging yourself into a hole you will never get yourself out of."

Mzingo merely smiled patronisingly. "Tsk tsk tsk! Any harsher and I might consider letting him know what you're up to! We vultures now nest on Pride Rock, next to the Lion King himself!" He declared, bathing in his own triumph. "Even if we are starving... just know that you'll have to keep me very happy and very well fed to give that up!"

 _If he thinks I'm going to honour this deal, he has another thing coming._ Jasiri thought darkly. _The minute we win, I'll gobble him down the way Scar did to Ono, though it'll probably take me days with all that tough meat._

Oh well. Whatever the future held for her, she _had_ won over both Mzingo and Janja, and found a way to save Kion and kill Scar... all in one day. Smiling, she turned to the old bird. "Happy Kupatana, Mzingo."

"Hmm? Oh, well... Happy Kupatana to you too, I guess. I don't really celebrate..."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Before I say anything else, I'd like to address that yes, this story is five days late. The truth of the matter is that I've just been enjoying Christmas and got lazy with finishing this. Yeah, I'm that kind of person. Deadlines and me just don't go hand in hand. But regardless, I'm so happy to finally give you all this late present and wish you all a merry Christmas and happy holidays!  
_  
 _2016 is very nearly over and rather than depress you with celebrity deaths and American politics, I'd like to talk about some awesome things about the previous month. For Christmas, I finally got my copy of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child and it was just crazy! I had some mixed feelings, but I would definitely recommend it and I do see it as the eighth part of the Harry Potter storyline._

 _Yesterday, I also had a chance to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and it blew me away. I was surprised last year when Han Solo's death choked me up, but this movie finally did the impossible and got me properly crying. Tears were streaming down my face as all the heroes fell and Darth Vader's lightsaber ripped through the Rebels like butter. Best cinema experience ever._

 _As a Doctor Who fan, I finally got my one episode of the year and it was... alright, I guess. Yeah, not so awesome as the other stuff, but hey, at least the show's still kicking._

 _Finally, I'd like to apologise for not finishing the prompts on time, things just got super hectic in school and I couldn't devote much time to them. I'll finish them off next year before continuing with the regular chapters.  
_ _  
And now, onto the reviews...  
_ _*FanficFan920 - If it's the winner of the contest, yes._

 _*God Of The Challenge - Good grief, man..._

 _*Revan Alek Shan - I'm glad you liked it!_

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - You can pretty much imagine Obsidian as Smaug: the younger years._

 _*zootopiafan - As we can see here, he gets around... he's a real ladies' lion, if you catch my drift. XD_

 _*TiifuxKion FAN - Thanks! Let's see if it wins!_

 _*Juria - Yeah, it was one of the more outlandish prompts..._

 _*Dragonasaurus - Boy, am I glad to see you again! I was seriously starting to worry when you vanished like that, lol. Oh, I'm very proud of that particular chapter. I've been planning Scar's return since the summer._

 _1\. Why do you usually not approve of killing off characters? My reason for doing it here was basically to establish Scar as a "big" bad guy, not one of the fun ones like Janja or Reirei. He's the real deal._

 _2\. Yeah, Kion's... not going to be happy when he gets back. At least not right away. No encounter with Ono, I'm afraid... he's moved on. Kion hasn't, hence why he can briefly come back as a ghost._

 _3\. Like in the show itself, they're just not here right now. I wonder if they'll ever be addressed there. I mean, Nala's father was, so anything's possible. Ushari's death was pure backstabbing jerk. Scar just wanted something to kill at that moment._

 _4\. No connection. I haven't even seen the original film, although the Beast is a main character on Once Upon A Time._

 _5\. I'm not a very good songwriter I'm afraid, but a team-up of (almost) all the villains just required it._

 _6\. He was breaking the fourth wall, yes. Loads of reviewers have been asking where Kiara is. As for Vijana's fate, you'll just have to wait and see._

 _7\. I'm not really fond of the way the show uses Mufasa, so I keep that to a minimum. Scar is aware of his limitations, yes. But he has to talk big in order to get people on his side and to frighten the opposition, you see._

 _8\. Jasiri's sister(wait, was that really her sister? I must've missed that) is not canon in this fanfic. I had no idea she had her own clan when I started writing this, so they're not going to appear._

 _9\. Easily the best episode of the series so far. I have a special connection with LK 2 and prefer it to the original, so "Lions Of The Outlands" really gave me everything I wanted apart from Kion x Vitani. I'm happy with the new Zira voice actress, but I do miss the stripe, I don't get why she didn't have that._

 _10\. Tama has stayed with Scar(and is the only remaining lioness there apart from Nala). The most loyal animals went with Simba, although many also drift in later to get away from Scar._

 _11\. I'm not going to introduce new characters to replace Ono._

 _12\. I'm sure in this interconnected world, there are now many, many people with mixed accents._

 _13\. No, yes, yes._

 _14\. You have to admire the guy, though... it takes a special kind of villain to rise from the grave._

 _15\. Oh, you'd be surprised... I don't think the Pridelanders(at least not the lions) blame the Outlanders very much... they're animals, they're hungry, it's understandable. Scar is the one truly responsible for these things and he's getting the blame for it. At this point, they probably see him as something like the Devil, since he was able to come back from the dead._

 _I'm definitely looking forward to your review to this one. Thanks for the little mini-chapter, it was cool. See ya!_

 _*LunarWolf0 - I did and I'm sorry._

 _*kristinalprime23 - I'm not really entirely sure what you mean here... also, "dinnae"? Is that a Scottish accent?_


	36. PROMPT 3

**PROMPT CONTEST CHAPTER 3/8**

 **"** **During a mission, our hero gets stuck in a thornbush, and the other four** **have to pull him out. Unfortunately, the thorns are stuck in his tuft, and the only way to get** **him free is to cut it. Needless to say, our hero is mortified, but ultimately sees reason, and** **reluctantly lets one of two members cut it off, setting him free. (Depending on which of two** **characters does it, the method will differ) He struggles with his new look for much of the** **day, before his sweetheart in this story sees him and comforts him. He then wakes up, tuft** **intact, proving it to have been a dream." - Anonymous13 B**

 **(Author's Note: I'd just like to remind you that the prompt contest is CLOSED now. The winner of the contest(chosen via randomiser) will be revealed in the next "normal" chapter of Mkuu, which will come out after the prompt chapters have been released, and shall receive a 10-chapter spin-off which may or may not be canonical, depending on the story.)**

* * *

"MZINGO!" Kion screamed at the conniving vulture as he and the Lion Guard chased after him through the sunny canyon. "PUT... THE BABY... DOWN!"

It had been a relatively quiet, lazy day until a sudden shriek had alerted the Guard to yet another emergency within the Pride Land herds. This time, Mzingo had discovered that a zebra was about to go into labour and had stalked her until the baby was born, at which point the villainous vulture had cruelly snatched her unexpectedly from her mother's hooves and flown away to deliver a hearty breakfast to his flock.

"Kion, are you one hundred per cent sure that that should be our demand?" Ono yelled downwards. "The altitude and speed at which Mzingo is flying would suggest that..."

Kion didn't feel like listening to a lecture right now, particularly in the middle of a situation. "Later, Ono! Just try and slow him down!"

The speedy egret managed to get in front of Mzingo a couple of times, but the vulture refused to let anything get in his way and simply rammed Ono out of the way with his sheer bulk. Disoriented, he fell onto Beshte.

"He's heading towards that cliff!" Kion told the Guard and changed direction towards a pointy platform that jagged out of the canyon above the savannah. "If he flies out of the canyon, we've lost him! Ono, I need you to get up again and hold him back just a little longer!"

Ono dizzily saluted. "Affirma-whoa-oa!" Flying in drunken circles, he somehow made it up into the air again. "Affirmative!"

"What're we gonna do?" Jasiri shouted at Kion. The latter's eyes focused on Mzingo, and Ono circling around him. "I'm gonna catch him from the air." Kion replied. "I just need... to get... a little... closer..."

The two birds had almost exited the maze. The hyena's eyes bulged. "Kion, you can't make that!"

Kion just ran faster and grinned. "Just you watch..." he said and leapt off the very end of the platform over the desert far below, intending to grip onto Mzingo's feet and slowly drag him down to the surface. However, the disc of the sun filled the horizon and glared directly into his eyes, causing the cub to miss the vulture entirely. With the wind rushing through his ears, Kion watched helplessly as a green sea of nasty thornbushes drew closer and closer until finally he landed with a crackling thud.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

* * *

Wracked with unspeakable pain, Kion took deep breaths and slowly calmed himself down. He couldn't move an inch of his body without feeling the thorns piercing even further into him.

As such, his head was placed firmly on the ground, looking into the empty distance and left to ponder what was happening with the others. The Guard were probably somewhere looking for a way to get down and Ono had doubtlessly pursued Mzingo.  
 _Why did I have to do that?_ Kion thought in an angry voice. _Now I'm just gonna slow the rest of the Guard down and Mzingo could get away with it! Ono's not going to handle him on his own. And all that just to show off to 'Siri._

The hyena scamp had joined the Pridelanders a few weeks ago, and after Kion agreed to let her tag along on the Guard's missions, the two of them had naturally grown closer and closer to one another. Kion felt like an adult in her company, able to articulate complicated thoughts that he couldn't really voice amongst the Guard or his family. And Jasiri felt respected, which replaced her walls of bravado with genuine confidence.

Plus, they had a lot of fun. Not only were they twice as smart together, they were also driven to be twice as naughty...

Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted Kion's train of thought and his eyes sprang open. "You gotta be kidding me." Jasiri said, looking down at the tangled cub in bemused disbelief. "Who falls asleep in the middle of a thorn bush?"

Kion blinked and yawned before he could stop himself. "Did you get the baby back? Is Mzingo...?"

"The baby's safe and sound." Ono reported, and landed onto Kion's shoulder. "And Mzingo has fled back to the Outlands. Right now, I think the problem is you. I mean... you're completely tied up here!"

The lion prince shrugged, embarrassed. "Well..."

"I barely managed to crawl through these thickets, I'm afraid the rest of the Guard couldn't get through." Jasiri explained. "So it'll be up to us to get you out of this... um, quandary." She giggled.

Ono flapped into the air and took one good look from above. "It won't be as hard as it looks." He reckoned. "We'll just have to carefully take the branches off of him, then lift him up... oh, wait."

"Well? What is it, Ono?" Kion asked, feeling an odd sense of dread overtake him.

"Um... well, we can get you out of here..." the egret began awkwardly. "... but I don't think your mane will be coming with you."

Kion's eyes pierced into the egret. Ono gulped. "I mean, uh... it's all tangled up in those thorns and we can't... we can't unravel it all. " he finished.

Jasiri nodded. "I think he's right. You'll just have to go bald. Hehehehe!" Kion was not amused.

"I am NOT going bald!" He snarled at the hyena. "Guys, it took me ages to get it to look like this!"  
"Yeah, the bird's nest look is pretty hard to get down right." Jasiri poked. "The branches in-between the hairs are a nice touch, though."

Kion tried to swat at her, but felt pain on his head, as the thorns pulled him back by the mane. "Ow! No. No, no, no, this is NOT happening!"

"You're a real 'mane-iac' about your hair, you know that?" Jasiri quipped before bursting into laughter. Ono sighed. "Somehow, I don't think that's going to convince him."

"Bu-b-b-b-but I'll look... I'll look... _like a lioness_." He hissed, terrified to his core. Kiara was already awfully teasing... this would send her into overdrive. He didn't even want to imagine what Tiifu and Zuri had in store for him.

Jasiri frowned and rubbed her chin with her paw, as if considering something. "Hey..." She then touched her own head. "I have hair. Huh, technically we could say you're _my_ girlfriend..."

The lion cub jolted up into a sitting position so fast that his beloved red locks were all torn from his head. "Girlfriend?! Like a couple? Oh, wait a second..." Kion closed his eyes and gripped onto his skull. "ARRRRRGH! MY HEAAAAAAD! THE PAIIIN! MY MAAAAANE! MY SUDDEN ABILITY TO RHYYYYME! Okay, I'm good now." He looked at Jasiri earnestly. "So, like a couple?"

Jasiri blinked. "Uh... it was just... the first thought that sprang to mind."

Now that some space had been cleared in the bushes, Ono landed, with a nervous smile. "You look a little different."

Kion gingerly touched his head and pulled off a few stray red hairs that were still left. "Heyvi Kabesa! Maybe I'll just tell everyone I changed gender."

"Good plan," Jasiri said. "Except one only has to look down _there_ to know that's not true."

Kion looked confused. "Why would anyone do that?"

"... pe...ripheral vision?"

Ono hid his face under his wing. "Have mercy..." he muttered.

* * *

"Janja! Leave those zebras alone!" Kion shouted at his oldest enemy. The hungry hyena flinched at the sound and turned around to face Kion as the zebra herd trotted away.

"PFFFT-HAHAHAHAHHAAAAA!" Janja had a manic breakdown. "AW NO, YOU GOT ME, YOU GOT ME HAHAHAHA!" He collapsed onto the ground, hugging his belly and cackling.

Kion eventually roared at him out of annoyance. "Well, at least I got him, I guess." he sighed.

As the Guard headed back to Pride Rock, they crossed paths with the pride's huntresses, led by the Queen. Happy to take a break for a few minutes and say hello to his son, Nala strolled towards the Guard and caught sight of Kion, who'd been obscured by Beshte's bulk. She froze.

"Hey! Um... what do you think?" Kion asked.

Nala scowled. "Simba, have you been time-travelling again?" She appeared quite stern. "Honestly, the amount of times you did that..."

"Err... I had a haircut, mom."

"Hah!" Nala wiggled her front paw's toe at him disapprovingly as the Guard exchanged meaningful glances. "Kion would never have a haircut. I know it's you! You adorable little monkey, get out of here!" She swatted softly at him. "Shoo, shoo!"

Kion held his paws up defensively. "Okay, okay! I'll just... go, and... do that..." He went back on the trail to Pride Rock, with the Guard slowly following him. Bunga whispered into Kion's ear. "Hey, your mom just blew you a kiss. What does that mean?"

"It means that whoever's responsible for the world we live in has a sick sense of humor." Kion muttered.

* * *

The lion prince held his breath as he arrived at the entrance of the Uwanja wa Maisha pride's den. Maybe his dad's presence could soften Kiara's reaction? Well, it was now or never...

"Hey, son!" Simba casually called out in a thin voice. He was stretching out on the royal platform and in a playful mood. "I decided to take a day off from the royal thing. I'm sure it can handle itself."

Kion's mouth dropped. "Why do you sound like Ferris Bueller?"

"Why do you have the head of Patrick Stewart?"

Kion facepalmed as Simba turned to the screen with a grin. "That's right, beautiful readers." He said chirpily. "Breaking the fourth wall like a BOSS."

"Dad, I'm already scared of Kiara, Tiifu and Zuri's reactions. You don't have to embarrass me in front of the entire internet."

Simba chuckled. "Oh, look who's here." he said, pointing behind Kion. "Kiara, Tiifu and Zuri!"

The lion prince whirled around to see three dropped jaws.

"Oh. My. Kings." Tiifu mumbled and unveiled her claws. With a predator's gait, she walked to Kion's left as an equally stunned Zuri walked to her right.

"That is SO hot!" Zuri breathed. "I call dibs!"

Tiifu growled. "The hell you will. MINE!" She screamed and pinned Kion down. Zuri grappled onto her lithe body and tried to pull her off.

And Kiara? Kiara climbed on top of both of them, removing any chance of Kion escaping. "Morning, Kiara." Kion squeaked with the pressure on his chest. "I know this is kind of a silly question, but could you please not seduce me?"

Kiara grinned and slowly drew closer to Kion's face. Suddenly, her fur turned ashen in color and a black tuft grew out of her head. "You sure about that? It's against many laws of nature." Jasiri petted him.

"Oh, well in that case..."

* * *

Kion gasped for air as he woke up. With only a glimmer of moonlight shining in from the opening, it took him a few seconds to realise he was in the Lion Guard's den. Slowly, his breathing returned to normal.

"That's the last time I take mushrooms from you, Bunga..." he murmured.

"You sure about that, loverboy?" Bunga asked. Kion's eyes sprang open to see the badger wearing his red tuft right before the two kissed.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHH!"

"Kion, what is it?!"

The lion cub looked around frantically and checked for the mane on his head to make sure this was reality. "Nothing. Just a bad dream. Go back to sleep, Reirei."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _I'm back! It's been a month of hell, let me tell you. But a huge weight has finally been lifted from my shoulders and I've slowly been returning to writing. And with some difficulty, I might add. I'm not sure, but I may be experiencing slight burn-out. I really haven't felt like writing recently. It's not that I haven't got the ideas, but just trying to put it on the page seems to suck the life out of me. Maybe I just miss the reviews, lol. They've always been a vital shot of energy, wink wink._

 _So, let's be optimistic and discuss how we're going to continue from here-on out. There's still five prompt chapters to go, but I've been thinking about maybe writing them in-between the regular chapters? We're all anxious to see Jasiri go toe to toe with Scar, after all. Or should I stick to my guns and get the prompt chapters out of the way first? Because if I don't, the contest will be delayed even further(it should've been finished in December lol). Your choice._

 _Also, a question: where would be the best place to upload a photo so you all could see it? Because I've created an image of the new lioness, Kati, and I'd really like to share it._

 _*God of the Challenge - What DID happen to you?_

 _*DragoonSensei - Actually, the cubs of Kion and Jasiri were inspired by this fan art:_

 _h()t()t()p()s : / / img14 . deviantart 7f0f / i / 2016 / 029 / 3 / a / babysitting _ by _ littlepolka - d9pf815 . jpg_

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Thanks! Had to write through the night to get it done before the end of the year!_

 _*Leonardo Leto - Cubs! Not puppies, cubs! And yes, yes, you'll get more!_

 _*LunarWolf0 - Then don't worry... it's not going to end anytime soon. I have sooooo much in mind..._

 _*kisiri forever - I'm planning on bringing Kion back way before the final chapter._

 _*zootopiafan - Well, that's high praise._

 _Ono was not swallowed whole. There's a big pile of feather and bones. As for Nala, she basically didn't say a word to anyone as Simba and the pride were forced out and has passively followed Scar since. I might have to do a flashback to clarify this..._

 _Harry brought the corpse back._

 _Long answer: Simba's technically still at fault for not revealing the whole love affair to begin with, so Kopa doesn't bother correcting her. Short answer: I forgot that Simba didn't know. We may still see some conflict between Kopa and Kiara._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - The answer is very simple..._

 _*laytonmrbunch54 - The best one? Aww... thanks._


	37. Chapter 30

"NOOOOO!" The meerkat begged on his knees, crying crocodile tears. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! KILL ME NOW, PUMBAA, JUST KILL ME NOW!"

Pumbaa rolled his eyes. "Just eat your termites, Timon." he said and offered the leaf full of insects to his overdramatic pal. Timon snatched it from his hoof in a temper tantrum.

"Termites in the morning, termites for lunch, termites FOR DINNER! I'd give anything for a lousy dung beetle at this point! And all of this because Simba's slimy-maned creep of an uncle..."

Timon was cut short as a large grey-feathered bird casually landed in front of him. "You were saying?" Mzingo asked with a genial smile. The meerkat gulped.

"Uh... no, I, uh... well, don't mind me asking so, Mzingo, but... whose side are you on again?"

Mzingo chuckled. "Be at peace, Timon, I shan't eat you today... maybe tomorrow. But right now the vultures side with Simba... if he ever gets a move on." Timon wiped sweat from his brow. Interested, Pumbaa trotted closer.

"What convinced you to come back to us?" The warthog asked.

Mzingo rolled his eyes. "Well, I always knew Scar was an exceedingly incompetent ruler. But I underestimated his vanity... suffice to say, he overstepped his boundaries and I'm now convinced that for the moment, an amiable relationship with Simba would be more agreeable for the vultures."

Timon gestured for him to stop talking. "Okay, so let me see if I get this straight..." he began counting on fingers. "You tricked Fuli and Jasiri into becoming enemies so their rivalry would draw the attention of every animal in the Pride Lands and cause a civil war. Then you lead Simba into a hole with an undead warrior demon in it. After that, you gathered up all the scum of Africa to uproot our friend and put a possessed lion cub in his place and now... you want Simba back as King." He pointed at Mzingo with a finger. "One of those things does not add up."

"Uh... which one would that be?" Pumbaa asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"The undead warrior demon, of course! Where'd you get one, Mzingo, and can you hook me up with the dealer?!" Timon exclaimed enthusiastically.

Mzingo rolled his eyes. "I didn't get the 'warrior demon' from anywhere. He's part of the long-lost history of Pride Rock... and if you must know, I got the information from Ushari. Who is a little bit too dead for your dreams of glory. Shame he took his secrets with him."

"Well, they did say a crazy lion stole all of his belongings after he died..." Pumbaa began to explain, only to be cut off by Timon. "Pumbaa! Ix-nay on the belongings-ay..."

The vulture frowned and let the information sink in. He hadn't known Ushari kept _any_ belongings... the snake had been obsessed with his forefathers, and his forefathers were only notable for the powers they learned watching their human masters. Anything he might've kept would've had to have magical properties...

He smiled at the duo. "Well, it doesn't do to dwell on rumors. Jasiri has called for an emergency meeting of the Kupatana Guard and royal family members. _You_ will keep me informed of everything that's spoken of inside that den."

Timon humphed. "And why should we do a thing like that?"

"If my memory serves me right, I did you two a favor once... Tama and Simba? Remember? You'd never have paired them up if I hadn't recognised Simba was in heat."

Pumbaa gasped. "You knew? Even back then...?"

"Hah! If I knew everything, I'd be king of the jungle and dining on your intestines." Mzingo quipped. "No, I merely played for the future. Always have, always will."

* * *

(Jasiri's meeting with Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, Kiara, Kopa, Fuli, Beshte, Bunga. Kula is not at the meeting.)

As Timon and Pumbaa strolled into what served as the main den for their exile in the Outlands, the private meeting was all set to begin. It was held there at Kiara's insistence: though Simba ignored them all and faced the wall, she felt it was important to keep him in the loop as best as they could.

Jasiri opened the meeting, speaking confidently: "Now that we have the hyena clan on our side, we've taken the first step towards regaining control of Pride Rock. Scar will not expect treachery, therefore I think it's best if we continue with this approach with the other animals he's gathered. If we could convince the crocodiles, the jackals and all the rest that they'd be better off under Simba's rule, then victory would be ours. Unlike last time, Scar has no loyalists. Harry confirmed that the only lions still in the Pride Lands besides him are Nala and Tama."

"How exactly are we going to convince all of them?" Kiara asked. "The jackals have never been happier and there's more of them every day. Makuu isn't exactly unhappy dominating all of the rivers either. I'm surprised they all haven't started in-fighting, actually."

"That would be the Roar." Jasiri said. "Scar hasn't used it yet, but they know he can. It keeps them in line."

Timon then waved for attention. "Yeah, about that...! Aren't we starting off from the wrong end? I mean, I may be getting this wrong, but isn't Scarface the root of this problem? What are we gonna do about him?"

"I... may have a way of stopping him." Jasiri said.

"Well? What is it? It's not something horrible, is it?" Beshte pitched in.

Jasiri shook her head. "No! But it's not something I want to share, at least not yet. Not when Scar's eyes and ears are everywhere. We've been tricked so many times that I'm keeping it to myself. You'll just have to trust me."

This set Timon off. "Now wait a minute! Are you saying any one of us could be a traitor?!"

"That's not..."

"A-ha!" Timon pointed at Jasiri's nose. "What if you just said that so we wouldn't suspect it's _you_!"

Before Jasiri could respond with a particularly acidic remark, Bunga patted his uncle on the back, wearing a disarming grin. "Aw, come on! Jasiri's the wisest in all the Pride Lands! She's the only one it couldn't be! Well, her and I guess Simba. And Kion, cause... he's a ghost. I wouldn't count me out, though! That would be the best plot twist ever!"

"We're going off topic." Jasiri said sharply. "The other Kings all abandoned Scar once he proved to be what he is, so there's a chance they'll want to reignite relationships with us. If things work out, we might even end up in a better position than where we started from. To that end, I suggest we send ambassadors to all of the prides around us."

"Well, in that case, Timon and I can visit the Hasira Pride near the jungle. We've run into them before." Pumbaa suggested. Kopa raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Jasiri nodded.

"Alright then." She continued. "The Kupatana Guard will handle the rest of the prides. We'll all brief with Zazu tomorrow, before we set off. That includes you, Bunga."

Bunga rested casually on a rock. "Don't worry! I've got a tongue like honey! You know, because I'm a honey badger!" He started laughing so hard that he fell over himself.

Kiara sighed. "It'd be almost funny if our lives didn't depend on him."

* * *

After the meeting, Kula met up with Fuli and informed her that the latest recruits had bled in to help them fight Scar. One of Jasiri's ideas for restoring their Uwanja wa Maisha pride was to build a similar army of miscellaneous animals willing to fight. Thanks to her authority and balanced personality, Fuli was quickly chosen to train them. This particular groupd.. wasn't exactly the best and brightest.

There were only five of them. Three were fat hippos dreaming of better days, one was a baboon who just wanted to throw fruit at others and one was a leopard with anxiety.

"What have you got to be nervous about?!" Fuli demanded from him. She wasn't usually this aggressive, but the situation was beginning to get to her. Fuli hadn't exactly been taking it easy even before this, trying to vie for both Kion and Kopa's affections, but the more they suffered in the Outlands, the more she began to see her own shallowness and now she was working as hard as she could to live up to the promises she'd given when she joined the original Lion Guard.

"Well, I-I... uh..." he fell quiet.

Fuli tried to reason with him. "You're here, aren't you? You volunteered to help us fight."

The leopard shrugged. "It-it... I thought it was the right thing to do... besides, the jackals have overrun my home in the Back Lands... I can go away if I'm useless..."

"Wait, what?! There's jackals in the Back Lands now?" The Back Lands represented the border between Simba's pride and another one... if the jackals were there, it could only mean the Pride Lands were crammed full of them. "Why didn't you say so the minute you got here?! What's your name?"

"Uh-uh, I'm Badili." the leopard said, unsure of what was going on. Nevertheless, he bowed respectfully.

Fuli flashed him a reassuring smile. Now that she thought about it, she found the awkward, childlike leopard rather endearing. "Hi, Badili, I'm Fuli. And now come on, I'm taking you to Jasiri, we need all the info we can get!"

* * *

(Nala suffers from Tama and Scar's treatment)

"Good morning, Nala."

Her entire body stiffened instinctively in disgust and fear, wiping the illusion of peace that sleep provided instantly. She remained perfectly still as Scar climbed onto her back and made himself comfortable. He lowered his head to Nala's level and then rubbed his cheek against her face, humming in satisfaction. "Do you remember... the first time I took Pride Rock... I made you a proposition."

How could she not remember? "Yes. You wanted me to become your Queen."

"Hmmm... precisely." Scar nuzzled her affectionately, to the lioness's displeasure. "And there's a part of you that actually wants that. Oh, yes... over time, you'll find it. Lust..."

Nala pursed her lips. "Simba is my mate." she said flatly.

Scar frowned and pulled back, resting his chin on Nala's forehead. "Simba lied to you. I never lied." He said almost childishly. "It doesn't matter. I am the King, and you are mine. I don't care what you say." He licked the top of her head.

"Sire!" Tama called from the entrance, making Scar flinch.

"I've told you to never, _ever_ disturb me when I say so!" He leapt off of Nala's back, growling. "I am the King, you will obey."

"Yes, Sire, but-"

Scar seemed on the verge of exploding. " _SHUT UP!_ You will obey without question, you will not utter a word when I speak and you will not step a toe out of line!" Suddenly, he turned to Nala and broke into a goofy grin, heartbreakingly identical to Kion's. "No one's going to betray me now that I'm tough."

He then turned back to Tama and motioned for her to speak. "Sire, Reirei's family has overrun the Pride Lands. There's just too many jackals pouring in from who knows where. Pretty much everyone are saying that..."

"No need to tell me what they're saying." Scar muttered. "If they can't handle a few dogs sniffing around, they have no place in my kingdom. It's the law of the jungle. The strong survive, the weak are killed. That's how it's always been."

"Not outside of hunting!" Tama blurted out before she could stop herself. So far, Scar's Roar had been the only thing keeping this crazy pride in line, but if he gave them _permission_ to fight... it would end in an utter bloodbath. Luckily, Scar was too busy admiring his own words to notice her being out of line.

"... and I reign on top of the pyramid of animals. I am the smartest, the most powerful and now, in this body, I am the strongest! Life holds no limit to my power! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" he screamed incoherently.

Nala and Tama were both accustomed to Scar's outbursts at this point and Nala got on her feet and walked over to the other lioness. "I hope you're really, really proud of yourself now, Tama." The other lioness merely snorted and left.

At some point during the first few days of Scar's rule, Nala had demanded to know the truth... how could Tama, the loyal lioness who'd hunted by her side for years and years, who even grew up remembering the cruelties of Scar's original dictatorship and left because of it... how could she serve him?

"I wanted to make my son King." Tama had replied. "I thought I could make him the perfect lion, without the burning bloodlust of the Hasira Pride or the pampering softness of this one. What a waste of time, eh?" She'd chuckled. "Well, I'm too tired to go bother living on my own and I'm not gonna crawl back to Simba or Vijana like a worm." Tama had one thing left that she clung onto, and that was her pride.

Nala peeked outside of the den(she was forbidden to leave)... the sky was red. Blood red, over a field of burnt-looking rocks and gnarled black trees. She was in hell.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _In case you're wondering, Scar's insanity is exacerbated in this story, because he's essentially won on all levels. His ego has become cosmic in size. Also, as you may have noticed, I've decided to go ahead with writing story chapters in-between the remaining prompt chapters, simply because everyone's been waiting for so long._

 _*God Of The Challenge - Yeah, that's definitely shocked people a lot more than I expected..._

 _*laytonmrbunch54 - As the title in front of the page suggests, the previous chapter was part of the prompt contest, which I've said many times already is NOT canon. They're just chapters based on one-off concepts people posted to me._

 _*Guest - Kion and Reirei, one of my favourite crack ships..._

 _*Fanfic920 - I'm glad you liked it!_

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Nala totally had a sex change. Yep. Mm-mh._

 _*LunarWolf0 - Apart from the massive delays, it's gonna go on for a while because Scar's whole appereance is only one of multiple story arcs. It won't end just because he gets finished._

 _*Juria - I hope you can deal with this drama... funnily enough, I'm also having trouble with classes._

 _*Leonardo Leto - Jasiri and Scar are definitely gonna meet soon!_

 _*Guest - Mine usually are like fanfiction, honestly... I always see movie stuff._


	38. Author's Note 3

**Author's Note**  
Hello! Sorry, no chapter this time. And yes, I do realise I've been gone for like half a year. I've been busy finishing high school and just couldn't focus properly on the story the way I wanted to, and I couldn't bear half-assing it because I really do love the story I've been building up here, and all of you following it.

I hope you'll still stick with me now that I must admit I will be gone a while longer. A year, actually. Mandatory military service. And obviously, during that time, I'm in no position to write. However, that doesn't mean that I'm giving up. I have a heck of a lot of story already sketched out and nothing's going to keep me from writing it, even if it takes me decades(I hope it doesn't take me decades)!

Anyway, I'll see you guys in about a year and in the meantime, answer some more reviews...

* * *

 _*LunarWolf0 - Yes, exactly._

 _*DragoonSensei - I know, it fits her perfectly! But she's still got to grow a bit, eh?_

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - I like to have fun with the prompt chapters! And yeah, war is definitely coming to the Pride Lands and Scar's... not gonna take it well. Btw, I'm really looking forward to his return in the Lion Guard. I won't be able to see it until I get back from the army, but it's bound to be awesome! Especially if they give him another villain song!_

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Yeah, they all realise by now that putting a villain in charge will not give them benefits._

 _*Juria - Ha! I might add that in specifically for you._

 _*Dragonasaurus(1) - And I, in turn, apologise for vanishing on you for far less severe reasons. And good grief, I don't deserve the praise. But I am glad to have such a dedicated reader, it's what makes the writing really worthwhile! As I already said, the Christmas chapter is one that I'm particularly proud of since it's the one time I really worked hard to give my chapter a proper structure and message, it being Christmas and all. Maybe, if I get a brief holiday from the army, I can write a chapter for next Christmas as well(maybe set at the same time as the previous one to keep the Kupatana theme, since I haven't been able to progress nearly as much as I would've liked to)._

 _1\. I am fond of the final heroic sacrifice as well to really send a character brilliantly off, but I'm not so sure it fits in the Lion King universe. Law of the jungle and all that. I picked Ono specifically because he's one of the more likable and useful members of the band. With Bunga, nothing would really be missing, because the critter adds nothing._

 _2\. Yeah, I'd agree with that._

 _3\. I love that team-up as well, but I've had to focus on the more crucial parts of the story so some of the cast invariably get a bit lost in the mix. It's almost ironic since I've always complained about characters disappearing on shows like "Once Upon A Time", but now that I'm writing a big-cast storyline myself, I finally see things from the creators' perspective._  
 _Anyway, if that Kupatana special I mentioned above comes to pass, I might give them a part in the limelight._

 _4\. Book Smaug, I should think. No particular reason except that I think dragons are cooler with four feet and wings._

 _5\. Thank you very much. I might do another(much later), because I do so adore musicals._

 _6\. I haven't decided their ultimate fates yet, so I'll consider it._

 _7\. That might've been interesting, but also perhaps too distracting. I can't use every good idea in this story, otherwise it would never end. Keep your mind on Scar's Roar ability... that's something to think about._

 _8\. I'm not sure I'll change my mind at this point, but I would like to hear your idea._

 _9\. I agree Zira's new voice actress is terrific, but I miss the stripe. There's something evil and badass about it, like war paint._

 _10\. To be fair, she was a bit snippy even in the original comic._

 _11\. Kiara is only part of the Guard temporarily. As for Ono's replacement, all I can say is that I've got it figured out. Trust me on this._

 _13\. Shenzi can't be encouraging to her daughter, because she hates her. She's only helping Jasiri out of an obligation to what's left of her clan. As for her mentioning Timon, it was just a cute reference to LK 3, which I really liked growing up. Only Shenzi knows what she was going to say._

 _14\. They look like grey lion cubs. Think very young Nuka._

 _15\. It's not about what's fair, it's about preserving control. As Mufasa once said, everything exists in delicate balance. This all started because everyone were becoming dissatisfied with Simba's overly nice rulership. I think I'll have to make this point more clear in future chapters._

 _16\. For some reason, writing Timon is really easy, maybe because he has such a clearly defined personality. When I can hear him delivering the lines in my head, I write them down. Also... no. They're really not. Honor and all that._

 _17\. The poor vulture is almost as deluded as he is._

 _18\. I don't think Jasiri needs the vultures to get her paws on Mzingo._

 _19\. Fuli/Badili pairing... check. To be honest, I only introduced it because of the leftover story arc of Fuli being infatuated with Kion and Kopa. I wanted a new love interest for Kopa, so I also had to pair Fuli off with someone else without it seeming too forced. Because after all, Fuli being lovesick didn't fit with the darker path the story was taking._

 _20\. As I mentioned above, I already know who will replace Ono(or Kiara, right now), so there's no room. :(_

 _21\. Heh, might as well._

 _22\. You didn't, I did. I honestly forgot about Zazu being on Pride Rock. But that's what happens when you have a story with a huge scope, I suppose. I've already figured out how to fit that in the plot, though._

 _24\. True, but they don't know how lion biology works. As far as they're concerned, it was the only way to save Simba._

 _25\. Soon... ish._

 _*OMAC001 - Yeah... about that..._

 _*Guests(who reviewed chapters 5, 6 and 3) - Can you be a little more specific? I can't answer you if I have no idea what you're saying..._

 _*Awwsomedude12 - OMG THANK YOU!_

 _*James - Interspecies sex between lions and hyenas is impossible._

 _*kionforever89 - Soon! Jasiri's going to need him and the clan to take down Scar. Also, yes, that was meant to be Reirei. That chapter(along with every chapter with PROMPT written on it) isn't canon. It was a joke about Kion and Reirei being a couple._

 _*The Booze - Don't we all?_


	39. PROMPT 4

**PROMPT CONTEST CHAPTER 4/8**

 **"Dark Kion moments, Kion could have a series of nightmares where he has to fight an evil version of himself, one where he was never born and his family doesn't know him or want him, one where Kopa gets chosen to have the Roar and his friends and family abandon him and one where he and Jasiri aren't friends or mates, but actually enemies because she leads the hyena clan instead of her brother." - Dragonasaurus**

* * *

Assured that his mane was still really on his head, Kion got up from the jackal's side and strolled out of the den for a midnight walk to clear his head. _Nightmares again?_ It was the fourth time this week. He was half-convinced it really was those mushrooms Bunga made him eat for old Pumbaa's birthday. At least his stomach didn't hurt.

By memory, his feet automatically lead him to the waterhole. The moon shone bright in the sky and he could see his reflection as clearly as if it wasn't a reflection at all. Kion dipped his head into the water to cool off, disturbing the image, and drank a little. After he pulled his head out of the water, droplets fell back in from his large mane, rapidly hitting his mirror self and forming ripples.

Kion breathed in and out slowly to calm himself. "Just a really stupid dream, that's all." he said to himself. "I'm awake now. Eh? What do you think?" He asked his reflection and laughed a little. For some reason, he found it really funny and couldn't stop laughing. Cackling, even.

 _What's happening?_ Kion thought, as everything that surrounded him began to amuse him until he was laughing maniacally like a hyena. Kion grabbed his jaw and tried to shut it, but found that he could not. That was funny as well. As he bobbed up and down, the lion tripped and fell into the water, finally putting an end to it all. However, instead of hitting the bottom, Kion merely floated to the surface, though he could not remember turning around.

 _I'm probably tripping._ Kion thought as he grabbed hold of a rock and dragged himself out of the water, shaking it off of his body.

"I'm probably tripping." Kion said. No wait, he hadn't. He'd thought it, for sure, but he hadn't said anything. He merely heard his own voice say it. The lion looked around, but he was clearly alone. Was someone toying with him? The drongo, maybe?

 _Hello?_

"Hello?"

This time, he was ready and immediately turned his head towards the noise, which seemed to come from somewhere towards the waterhole. He peeked once again at his reflection.  
"I don't understand." Kion mumbled to himself. "There's no else here."

"No, there isn't, is there?" Kion replied, and suddenly backed away in fear. Once again, he hadn't said anything.  
The disembodied copy of his voice continued: "I'm all alone. It was just a dream. A nasty dream."

Kion began to growl. "Tamaa, is that you?! I swear..."

"All alone." The voice said again and Kion shut his eyes and covered his ears. It was reading his mind, whatever it was!

 _There can't be two of me._

"There can be two of me." the voice said.

Very slowly, Kion peeked one eye open and found himself face to face with... himself. The other Kion had a wide, friendly grin on his face.  
"Surprise, hyena face!" The wrong Kion said mockingly and painfully scratched Kion's face, tearing four gashes over it.

"OOOWWW!" Kion screamed and clutched his head. "What the...?!"

The other Kion chuckled and began circling him. "Now how sad is that... you can't even control yourself. You know, I almost had you at that Roar, at that _dark_ Roar if it only weren't for mommy."

Kion still held his hurting cheek. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"What do you need, a blithering musical number? I'm you. Your more... luscious thoughts brought to the surface, as it were." The evil Kion flashed him a wolfish grin.

"But I don't understand..." Kion continued, confused. "How can you exist out here?"

The evil Kion burst into laughter. "That's the best part! I'm not. I'm inside your head and you are going cuckoo! Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo! But I invite you to make sure and jump right back into that pool!"

"I'll take my chances." Kion grimaced. "I'm not afraid of myself. Not anymore." He turned his back on his darker self.

* * *

Suddenly, the sky lit up for a brief second, followed by the most awfully loud rumble Kion had ever heard. Fear returned to his heart and he fled to the den. "Reirei?! REIREI! Where are you?"

Kion twitched as he saw his entire family lying in the den instead of his mate. "What in the-?"  
Not only had he _just_ left the den to go out, and not far enough for anyone to have sneaked in, but... his parents had retired long ago and Kiara and Kovu lived with their own pride far away. What was going on here?

He cleared his throat, instantly waking all of them. Kion pulled back, surprised that their predator instincts were so strong towards a fellow family member. Usually, this kind of a snappy wake-up would be reserved for intruders. "Guys? What are you all doing here?" he asked.

"We should be asking you the same thing, rogue! In fact, we are!" Simba growled, and moved in front of Nala, Kovu and Kiara protectively.

Kion raised his eyebrow. "Okay, it's not my birthday..." he began counting on fingers. "We don't have April Fool's Day in Africa... a dream? Am I dreaming?"

Simba leaped towards him. "Are you flirting with my daughter?!" he hissed.

"What? No!" Kion said, grimacing. "I don't understand. What's happened to all of you? It's _me._ Kion! Giant tattoo? Magic roar? I really am dreaming." He ran out of the cave, hoping desperately that his theory is true. Simba shouted something after him, but he couldn't make it out.

* * *

"Okay, don't panic yet. The entire world's just upside down, that's all." Kion said to himself. "My jackal girlfriend is gone, my hair can just go away at will, I have an evil twin running around... what's next? And how do I get out of it? I need... I need... a constant! Something that won't change no matter what."

Hiding under a tree, Kion noticed that something had been etched into the bark roughly, probably by a young woodpecker. It was a drawing of a male lion's head, the symbol of the Lion Guard. "That's it! Of course. I still have the Roar." On an impulse, he touched the tattoo on his left shoulder... or at least where it should have been.

"No..." Kion gasped. His Roar, his part in the Lion Guard had become his _life._ How could it just slip away like that without him even noticing? "It could be a dream." He said to try and regain his confidence. "Could be. If it is a dream, I can control it. Yeah. I made that twin disappear, I must be able to control it." He focused his eyes on his left shoulder and tried to picture the tattoo. Nothing happened. If it was a dream, it was no ordinary one.

Suddenly, Kion heard rustling and turned around. The noise seemed to be coming from a little hole a few feet away. Which happened to be the entrance to the Guard's den. "Now what?"

A young male adult lion, about the same age as Kion(but with a rusty mane that drooped onto his forehead) wandered out of the hole without paying attention to his surroundings, as if he'd been here hundreds of times. The lion noticed Kion staring at him and frowned. "Who are you? I've never seen you in the Pride Lands before."

"I'm Kion, head of the Lion Guard. Son of Simba."

"What?" The lion asked, bewildered. "That's not possible. I'm the only son Simba has."

Kion sighed. "And I suppose you're also the leader of the Guard."

"You bet I am. My name's Kopa."

Behind Kion, the Lion Family appeared. "Kopa, I see you've met our confused rogue." Simba stated. Kion began to fume. He didn't care if this was a dream or not, it was _not_ funny! "I am not a rogue! My name is Kion, these lands are mine and that tattoo...!" he pointed at Kopa's left shoulder. "... belongs to me! Always has! It's my destiny!"

Kopa smirked. "Your destiny's taken care of, have no fear." He began to laugh, and Simba, Nala and Kiara joined him, mocking the foolish upstart who was trying to mess up their lives.

In tears, Kion ran off, away from the Pride Lands altogether.

* * *

He soon found himself in the desolate canyons of the Outlands, hyena territory. Everything had fallen apart, everything! No Guard, no family, no mate. It was as if he was being rejected from the reality he knew. The fear of losing everything he knew was so strong that Kion quite literally collapsed onto the rocky ground, half expecting that to disappear as well and leave him floating in empty space for all eternity.

"Kion?"

Kion's eyes sprang open. A familiar voice... and better yet, someone who remembered him! "Jasiri!" Kion exclaimed, happier than he could put into words. "Thank the Kings above, I was just about to lose it."

"Well, whatever 'it' is, I doubt you'll still have it by the time I'm munching on your entrails." the hyena said with a dark grin. "BOYS! OHHHH BOOOOYS!" she called. Two sleepy hyenas responded. Kion recognised them: Cheezi and Chungu, who always trailed Janja.

"Jasiri?" Kion asked carefully.

The hyena female licked her lips. "Any last requests before I eat you up?"

"But I haven't even catched you lunch yet!"

Jasiri snarled. "I'll take that as a no."

"No!" Kion ran.

* * *

As he fled, he saw other animals joining in the chase... lions, zebras, monkeys, jackals, elephants even... the entire world behind him and his four paws slowing down... Kion looked below and saw he was trapped in mud. The animal stampede filled the horizon behind him. Ever closer, ever closer... the hoofs and paws and legs made a terrifying a rumble.

He closed his eyes.

SLAP!

As if hit by lightning, Kion bounced up in the air. He was back in his den at Pride Rock, with Reirei looking at him with concerned eyes. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"You're not real... what are you?!" Kion roared.

Reirei blinked. "I don't know what..."

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Kion screamed and lunged at her. Before the jackal could do anything, Kion had torn her throat out. As he knocked the fake Reirei's body away, he noticed that his tattoo had returned and scratched at it, trying to torn it away. He won't be fooled again.

Suddenly, he heard a gasp. Kiara stood at the opening, staring in pure terror at the bloodbath in front of him. Kion grinned and dragged his claws across the jackal's body as he approached his stunned sister. Won't be fooled again...

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _I don't doubt that the people who sent these prompts were not expecting to get these kinds of stories, but I suppose being unpredictable is a virtue for any writer. As you also noticed, I subtly tied together this prompt with the previous one. They're still meant to be different stories, but I thought it'd be neat._

 _*Guest - Marriage is definitely in the cards... you'll love it!_

 _*kionforever89 - I do so love writing the hyenas... they're fabulous!_

 _*Sonicbronyuniversez - Well, it'd be a dreadfully sad story if he didn't..._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Alas, such is life. But you needn't worry, I have the story mapped out so even if at some point in the future, I would give up writing(which I very much doubt), I'd make sure somebody finished it based on those notes._


	40. Chapter 31

A brush of fresh air touched Simba's face for the first time in days as the quick movement of wings generated wind in even the deepest parts of the small den where the Pridelanders had squeezed themselves into in the dry and desolate Outlands.

Though he didn't turn around to check, the blue bird was the first spot of real color that the caves had seen in years. Zazu cleared his throat to get the king's attention. He failed, but pressed on regardless.

"Sire, I'd like to inform you that just two hours ago, I carried out a daring escape from Pride Rock, right from under Mzingo's beak. I've already informed your war council as I was told you have relegated command to them."

Simba did not reply.

Zazu scowled. "I see rumors of your self-imposed retirement were not exaggerated. Perhaps a message from Queen Nala would help to bring out your confidence, hmm?"

Finally, the lion king turned his head and looked at the hornbill with such... un-Simba guilt in his eyes that it caused Zazu to choke up a bit. "She sent a message?"

"Ahem... yes... the message. Um, it says: 'I can't forgive you if you're not here.' Does that mean anything?"

"Yes." Simba said in a weak, hoarse voice that betrayed its recent disuse. "It means she challenges me to win her trust back."

Zazu gulped. "What do you think your chances are?"

Finally, Simba cracked a grin. "10/10. Well, 9, if I'm modest. I do have to beat my supernatural ghost uncle and his army of predators, and cast a spell to send Scar's ugly mug back to the underworld _and_ get my son back from said underworld, but when were things ever easy around here?"

* * *

Mzingo scowled as he saw another new group of young jackals circle the Parliament's tree. This wasn't just a playful game, though. Reirei was resting on the ground next to the trunk and stood up with a typically gleeful smile as she saw him approach.

Keeping his distance from the hyperactive pups, Mzingo landed on a heavy branch near Reirei. "Allies we may be, Reirei, but I'd kindly ask you to keep your clan off my territory! And where did these come from, anyway? There seems to be more jackals than grass in the Pride Lands lately."

Reirei shrugged nonchalantly. "No harm done. Children need their freedom, after all. Best to let them play and learn. They are our future."

 _"Your_ future." Mzingo emphasised. "And the Parliament can hardly make any decisions when these little furballs are running around, barking their heads off. Now what do you want?"

"To tell you the Parliament... is no longer required to make decisions. And if they still want to, they can clear right off this hillside. Scar has decided that a bunch of old, tired turkeys are quite inadequate for the job of keeping his kingdom ordered. Those little barking furballs... are your replacements."

Mzingo nearly fell off the branch. " _Pups_?! We're being replaced... with pups?"

"Handpicked by yours truly." Reirei said slowly, savoring the vulture's embarrassment and fury. "Don't bother checking with the rest of your flock. We had a picnic when we got here."

The vulture snorted in disgust. "And you kept me alive to gloat?"

"Actually yes. It's the jackal thing to do." She laughed as Mzingo took off. As the vulture flew, all he felt in his tiny little heart was fury. Not for the flock he'd lost, but yet another loss, another setback in his schemes. Fortunately, this time he had counted for failure and struck an alliance with Jasiri, one that he would now actually honor.

 _And then what?_ A voice said in Mzingo's head. He'd survive in Simba's reformed kingdom, yes, but he'd be straight back to square one. Such a waste. So much genius, but no goal to satisfy it. Mzingo knew he didn't want to rule the Pride Lands. For one, he was too old anyway, and besides, it'd be far too unsafe and in the spotlight for his liking.

For the longest time, he'd thought that his destiny was to elevate the vultures to lead the Pride Lands, but finally he saw that they were little different from any other predator race. Easy come, easy go. Conquest was useless without ambition.

The way Mzingo saw it, he had only two options: find a new king with the same ideals that he had and help them rule or take that most dreaded step... towards being good.

* * *

"Uh-uh-uh, I don't think I really want to do this." Badili stammered as Fuli led her towards Jasiri, who was just setting off to visit one of the neighboring prides.

"Don't talk nonsense, we've got to tell Jasiri!" Fuli protested.

"But I t-told you everything! Everything I know. I can go now, please?" Badili pleaded, but the cheetah stood her ground. "Badili, long story short, it's war. We're not going easy on anything or anyone."

Badili gulped. "Yes, ma'am."

"And don't call me ma'am!"j

The leopard nodded nervously. "Yes, ma'am."

Fuli approached Jasiri, who was trying to make herself look remotely presentable after weeks and weeks in the dusty, dry Outlands. "Jasiri!" Fuli called to her. "I got a leopard here who says the jackals have overrun the Back Lands."

"Whaaat?!" Jasiri gasped. There had to be an unimaginable amount of them crawling around at this point for them to move there. "Tell me everything!"

Badili's throat clenched, but he forced the words out of sheer sense of duty. "They came in the night, barking and laughing. We thought they were hyenas at first, uh, no offense, but they were that rabid. And there was a light... a bright light that one of them made. It made things explode."

Jasiri raised her eyebrow. "A bright light made things explode?"

"This is the interesting part." Fuli said.

"Well... I didn't see much, but during a few of the flashes, it seemed like one of them, a really deformed-looking one with grey and black fur was holding this golden... stick thing. It had shiny red stones on it, those were what made the light."

Fuli turned to the hyena. "Sounds to me like one of Ushari's knick-knacks. And you know what that means..."

"Dark magic." Jasiri said bluntly.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Well, hello there! Before you say a thing, I'm not back in full force. I''m still in the army, but the writing itch came back so hard that I was able to find the time to get this chapter out!_

 _I'd also like to apologise for all the mistakes in Chapter 30, which I must've uploaded in a very tired state. I can't fix it right now as copy-paste doesn't seem to work on fanfiction, but hey, at least I acknowledged it._

 _*LunarWolf0 - Yeah, I just let myself go in the prompt chapters... I guess this reveals some... things... about me lol._

 _*zootopiafan - Ushari knows all about dark magic, so he knew about the demon and shared the plan with Mzingo. Timon wanted to hide the fact that Ushari left behind magical artefacts from him. The whole going to heat thing only exists for the story, think of it like the Vulcan pon farr from Star Trek. And yeah, I wanted the scene with Scar and Nala to be as creepy and disgusting as possible, to bring up all the stuff the original hinted at in its sadly deleted scene(although there's an animated version on Youtube that looks almost like it came from the movie itself)._

 _The nitpicking is alright, I like to nitpick myself. The longer the review, the more I enjoy it!_

 _*kristinalprime23 - You ever seen Trainspotting?_


	41. Chapter 32

Pumbaa breathed heavily, the dry climate finally starting to get to him. The hungry weeks in the Outlands and other recent troubles had worn him out and he began to slow down.

"Hey, what's going on here? No time for a pit stop, Pumbaa!" Timon barked, tugging on Pumbaa's ears.

The warthog flopped to the ground. "I can't keep going, Timon. I'm not as young as I used to be."

"Oh, that's just great, the entire kingdom depends on us reaching Tama's pride, and you're not as young as you used to be! Come on now, up we go, up we go!" He tugged on Pumbaa's ears again.

"Just what are we supposed to do there, anyway?" Pumbaa grumbled. "Vijana can't be very happy that Kopa didn't become King."

"No, but I'll bet a trunkful of beetles that he'd rather have our old Simba on the throne than a creepy ghost guy." He hopped off of Pumbaa's back and began kicking his hide. "Now get your belly off the ground and let's do this, _comprenez vous_?"

A shrill shriek from the sky penetrated the whistling of the wind.

Timon scowled. "You hear that? The vultures are already above us, with Mzingo probably first in line to snack on our vital organs if you don't get a move on!"

Pumbaa looked up. "Gee Timon, that does look like Mzingo... you don't think...?"

"What? No, of course no, I..."

The vulture in question suddenly flew down at ramming speed before skillfully slowing down near to the duo. It was, in fact, Mzingo, holding a package made of leaf. "Well, go on! These are some of the juiciest grubs out there, and let me tell you, finding them was a trouble and a half!"

Timon and Pumbaa looked at each other, shrugged and began to feast on the contents of the package.

"Hey, wait a minute..." Timon said, with half a worm drooping out of his teeth. "You might be tricking us!"

"I don't have to... you are still indebted to me for finding Tama."

Pumbaa nodded. "He does have a point, Timon."

"Oh yeah, well so do I! If it wasn't for Tama, our friend wouldn't be in trouble with the missus right now!"

"If it wasn't for Tama, your friend might not have gotten a missus to begin with." Mzingo joked. "Learning curve and all that. But not to worry - I only need the information I asked... what is Jasiri's plan?"

Timon sighed. "She wants to do the same thing Scar did - unite everybody in the Pride Lands against the king. Since Scar royally sucks at his job, it shouldn't be too hard."

"And you are on your way, once again, to the Hasira Pride. With me as your advisor. Oh, how history loves repeating itself." Mzingo mused.

* * *

 _Timon gulped as the duo smelled the Hasira Pride marker. This was a terribly desolate and sandy place, just the spot for very hungry predators who would likely be very keen for a combined warthog/meerkat dinner. Still, according to Mzingo, finding a lonely lioness around here was their one chance of curing Simba from that annoying Red-Eyes condition._

 _"Alright, Pumbaa. Uhhhh... not very hard, is it? Go in, get a lioness, leave." He mumbled._

 _"What if she eats us before we have a chance to scream Simba's name?" Pumbaa shivered._

 _"Boy, did you step out with the wrong foot or what? Just... let's go, alright?"_

 _The warthog raised his hoof, but put it down again. "Are we sure this is the best course of action? Maybe we should consult an actual shaman?"_

 _"Shaman, schaman!" Timon shouted. "Come on now, our friend deserves some pussy... cat."_

 _And so they strolled in, ready to turn around and flee any second._

 _"Ahoy!" Timon called out. "Mountain kitties! We've got a male lion on the market, lots of ruby-red mane to grab onto. Real handsome fella! This is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity to get laid! Anybody?"_

 _A lonesome bush flopped by in the wind._

 _"Really? Nobody? Now that's just depressing. Well, we better go, Pumbaa." The duo turned around only to get the shock of a lifetime as they came face to face with a grey-maned, wiry old lion. They hadn't heard him approach at all._

 _"WHOAH!" They both shouted, and Timon fell off of his pig friend._

 _"Selling companionship, am I right?" The mountain lion asked politely._

 _Timon laughed nervously, and dusted himself off. "Eh... well... sorta... not for long, though! It's just that our friend has this condition..."_

 _"Oh dear."_

 _"NO! Nothing like that, nothing that'd get in the way of some... you know... sexy time... uh... look, we met this vulture and he said your pride could do with some fresh blood, that's all. Please don't kill us."_

 _The lion chuckled deeply and nodded to his right, at which point, over a dozen lionesses emerged from hiding. "No dinner tonight, I'm afraid." He told them. "With one exception... hmm... red mane... that just screams of the Pride Lands. That would be lucky... TAMA!"_

 _A pale lioness with glowing orange eyes separated from the crowd and stood in front of the king._

 _"It'll be your job to... assimilate this newcomer, shall we say? Think you can handle that?"_

 _Tama smiled. "It'll be my pleasure."_

* * *

Kopa headed back to the Outlands with a bounce in his step. For once, it seemed like things were looking up, as he was received exceedingly well by the Maji Pride, who had seemingly only joined Vijana's cause out of Mzingo's manipulating. The Pride had promised to back them from now on against any and all vile threats and help restore Simba to the throne.

As the dusty termite mounds came into view, he noticed two dark figures coming up to meet him, one considerably smaller than the other. "Kati? _Janja_? What's going on here?" Kopa asked.

"Shouldn't you be telling us?!" Kati exclaimed cheerfully. "The whole pride's dying to know! We figured you'd be coming back at this point, so me and the hyena volunteered to meet up with you!"

Kopa looked at Janja and raised his eyebrow. "Oh, is that so?"

"Hey, don't give me funny looks! I only came out here cause even you don't smell as bad as a pack of hyenas and lions livin' together." Janja growled. "Those two scents were never meant to mix, I tell ya."

"So says Janja, the perfume master." Kopa deadpanned. "Gonna be real complicated if your sister ever has cubs, eh?"

Janja shivered. "I didn't even think o' that. Can that even work?"

Kati shook her head. "Genetically impossible. Hyenas, though a feline species in of itself, are just too far away from lions in the complex tree of evolution."

The other two both stared at her, dumbfounded.

"What?"

Kopa and Janja looked at each other. "Yeah, we figured it was... something like that." Kopa finally said.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _It_ _was really hard to decide what I wanted the last scene to be, a romantic encounter between Kopa and Kati, or a humorous bro scene with Kopa and Janja. So I settled for a humorous trio(I guess they're Kopa's Ron and Hermione now)._

 _*OMAC001 - Soon enough._

 _*Guest - My stories tend to start small, but get bigger over time._

 _*kristinalprime23 - I do enjoy both films._

 _*kionforever89 - Now that would be telling._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - That's the best compliment I can think of._

 _*61394 - Chill, the dude is depressed af. Or was, anyway._

 _*Shadow the hyena - Both._


	42. Chapter 33

"I don't believe this!" Kopa growled and turned away from Simba and Jasiri. Just when hope had begun to grow on him that he could see his mother again and the spirit of Scar could finally be put to rest, a new emergency had been announced that forced Jasiri to send tired old Zazu in her stead as negotiator whilst she helped to bring Simba and Kopa up to date on their situation.

"Badili wasn't lying, I could see it from his eyes." Jasiri replied softly. Kopa shook his head. "That's not what I mean. We were _so_ close, Jasiri, so close to fixing this! But if they have dark magic, what chance do we have? We can't fight beams of pulverising light and whatever else they stole from Ushari. Just one of his spells was enough to get us into this mess!"

Simba put his paw on Kopa's shoulder. "Don't fall into the pit of despair, my-... erm, Kopa. I've been there, and it's not pretty. What we have to find is an antidote. There must be light magic that can defend us."

Jasiri piped in. "Rafiki?"

"Oh yeah, the senile monkey with the old baobabs is gonna save us!" Kopa snorted.

Simba, knowing better, shook his head. "I asked. He said his magic is too limited. Apparently, what little he knows, he learned a long time ago, and he hasn't a clue where his teacher might be now, if he's even still alive. And I've got nobody to spare to go looking."

Kopa thought a little, and then turned to Jasiri. "You said you had a plan."

"To save Kion, yes, but to do that, I have to get close to Scar. And even then, I don't know if his Roar could stop curses." She explained.

Kopa shrugged. "Guess it's up to me, then. I'm going to the Pride Lands, to find my mother. And along the way, I'll either find a way to bring them down from the inside, or pick up one of Ushari's things and blow them all to kingdom come."

"That is an _insane_ risk, Kopa! Do you have any idea of the danger you'll be in?" Simba protested.

"I thought our family laughed at the face of danger." The younger lion joked.

Simba dragged his paw over his face. "That sentence is gonna haunt me til the day I die."

"Besides, I'm a grown-up, _dad_. So this isn't even a debate. We'll stick to the plans we have now and I'll work on the magic thing. If I find something out... and survive, I'll bring a message to Rafiki." He nodded at them and left the den, already focused on his mission.

Simba sighed. "I just got him back and there he goes again."

* * *

Kati was waiting impatiently in front of the den entrance, thirsty for news. She beamed like the sun as Kopa came out.

"So what did they say? What are we doing? Are we going to attack!?" Kati rambled.

Kopa laughed. "Whoa, whoa, you're worse than a jackal cub!"

"Kopa, I am _dying_ in this dusty hellhole! Nothing to hunt, nothing to play with, nothing, but rumors! Gimme something now, now, NOW!" She sulked.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm going to the Pride Lands."

Kati blinked. "You're... what?! Are you crazy, you'll be killed!"

"Hardly. Scar might be interested in a family member who actually supports him, not to mention... I have to find my mother. She only did all this, because she thought I could be a king. If only she wasn't so stubborn..."

"It's not worth the risk!" Kati insisted. "You are-" She was cut off as Kopa planted his lips on her. "Mmf! What're you doing?"

Kopa shrugged. "I'm going to my death. My whole brain went 'what the hell'. You into it?"

"I- yes." Kati stopped Kopa before he could kiss her again. "But you'll have to take me with you."

The lion froze. "Damn. And I really wanted to mate."

Kati laughed. "You will. Because that wasn't a request. I'm a grown-up, I can do whatever I want."

* * *

 _"Okay." Timon whispered as he, Pumbaa and the willowy lioness they'd procured from the mountains approached the cave that Simba had made his home since he went into heat. "Now, that's our best friend in there, so you better give him the best night he's ever had, you get me?"_

 _Tama scowled, irritated by the bizarre pair, but looking forward to meeting whom she was almost certain would become a new member of the Hasira Pride. "Be quiet and be far." she growled to the whining meerkat and moved ahead of them, into the dark cave._

 _"Simba?" She called seductively._

 _"I'm here. Who are you?" Simba replied from the other side of the cave. The "tension" that the meerkat had mentioned was non-existent. Tama smiled contentedly. What was it they say about a female's touch...?_

 _"It's me, Simba. Tama. You remember me, don't you?"_

 _Simba nodded in the shadows. "You were... Nala's friend. The one who hated me. What are you doing here?"_

 _Tama sighed and settled down next to Simba in a precalculated motion. Predictably, the lion shuddered. But not yet..._

 _"I left the Pride Lands after Scar took over. I preferred the mountains, just a bit rougher." She omitted the truth about Scar's tyranny to keep Simba focused on her. "And imagine my surprise when this meerkat and warthog bravely walk into our territory because their big, bad lion hadn't found himself a mate." She teased._

 _Simba frowned. "I didn't want one. I don't see cubs in my near future. And mooove..." He gripped the rocky ground as Tama rested her head on Simba's mane. "... away."_

 _"Now here's the way I see it..." Tama continued. "Here you are, living with... well, let's call them friends for the sake of argument. You left the Pride Lands for probably dishonorable reasons that I don't care to find out... you must miss some proper..." she breathed into his ear. "lioness..." she began kissing his neck. "Mmm... company. Hmm?"_

 _"Oh yes!"_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Woo, on a roll right now! I hope this streak continues, I haven't felt this good about writing in ages! Hope you enjoy it as much as me!_

 _*Juria - Don't worry, the cubs thing will work out, I've got it all covered... and as for when the story ends... probably years from now. Depends on whether I'll make a time jump after this arc or not._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - It was mostly exposition, yeah. Did this one kick the adrenaline in?_

 _*LunarWolf0 - I'm thinking about doing a "Part 2" set years later, but that's distant future._


	43. Chapter 34

Scar breathed in deeply, savoring the morning air. He never got tired of the sensation of satisfaction that came with the absolute power he now possessed. No tiresome defiance, no arrogant imbeciles getting in his way. Death itself bowed to him, the king of all. It gave him a giddiness and fondness for the finer things in life that he could never appreciate in his horrible previous existence. Whoever said that games weren't about winning were sore losers.

With a fast motion, he pinched the ear of his favourite pet, waking her up with a pained yelp. "Find Tama, and tell her that a King doesn't rule on an empty stomach. Now!" He kicked Nala away with his hind paws and watched her scurry out of the den entrance. Thankfully, the cub form he'd inherited from his foolish grand-nephew had matured and a warm, red mane covered his back. Lazily, Scar wandered out of the den and onto the natural platform that enabled him to observe his kingdom. Everything the light touched... and everything it didn't... was his.

His viewing pleasure was rudely interrupted by the sight of dirty jackals running about. Youngsters, by the look of it. Vaguely, he remembered the other lioness, Tama, complaining about the number of them. She wasn't wrong. Scar would've gladly squashed them all, but he'd learnt his lesson and he was in no hurry to get torched by his own sidekicks again. Not to mention how vulnerable it would render Pride Rock to Simba now that many of his allies had run away in fear of him. Fortunately, he'd had the foresight to name Reirei as his deputy. That should keep the lot of them satisfied until he could come up with a way to be rid of them and keep his power.

As Scar sat there thinking, Tama approached him warily, waiting for the king to start the conversation. "Well? What have you caught me?" He barked.

Tama twitched. "Information."

Scar raised his eyebrow, readying his claws to slash her throat if he wasn't satisfied. "You think very highly of yourself, disobeying my orders like that. I hope for your sake that it captures my attention."

"Makuu's crocodiles overheard the jackals saying they have some kind of a new weapon. A _magic_ weapon, that belonged to Ushari. Something that could also be used against you, Sire."

Scar's face turned red with volcanic fury. "An assassination attempt?! On me? Those dogs wouldn't dare."

Tama remained calm. "If your Roar is as powerful as people say, they are very foolish indeed."

The lion king scowled and started to say something, but changed his mind with a growl and turned his back on her. Finally, he spoke: "Mzingo's gone, isn't he?"

"Yes, sire. He and his vultures disappeared shortly after you fired him."

"Hmph!" Scar walked back and forth on Pride Rock, trying to come up with some kind of a scheme. "It's you and me now, Tama. You and me. We'll work on getting rid of those arrogant imbeciles and squash this defiant streak. Tell me, lioness... what do you want?"

Tama blinked, confused. "Sire?"

"Oh, come now, darling." He stroked her chin patronisingly. "You've been around long enough to know that life simply isn't fair for the likes of us. You've given up, that's why you're still here and not with Simba like the rest of the mice. As king, it's important for me to..." he sighed. "... look out for my subjects, I suppose. I'll give you the boon you desire... in exchange for your loyalty, in life and death."

Tama froze. She could tell from Scar's eyes that he was being absolutely serious about this. Though the king would never admit it, he had grown somewhat lonely as the most hated king of all time. The fact that he ruled over a pride of careless canines did not help. His delusional obsession with besting his brother lived on through Simba and he would spend eternity if need be, just trying to outdo Mufasa's success. Ruling Pride Rock was not enough. Ruling the Pride Lands was not enough. He needed to rule the _minds_ of these creatures.

He needed them to love him badly enough that they would repeat what Mzingo had done once already, and bring him back if the worst happened. Then... he would truly be a king over death.

"I accept... if you can make my son a king. I want my blood to be royal." Tama admitted her deepest desire, aware that it could never be true considering who the lion in front of her was.

To her surprise, however, Scar smiled. "Oh, that shouldn't be too difficult. I know a certain lioness in the Outlands..."

* * *

Kopa gulped as Pride Rock came into view. They were deep in Scar's territory now and walking around as if they owned the place. Both him and Kati stayed on alert, ready to fight against any jackal or croc who might try to jump them. But nobody came.

"They must know we're here by now." Kati whispered.

Kopa nodded. "Oh, they know, all right. We're walking into the spider's web. I think they're curious as to why. Scar or my mom must've told them to stay away until we reach them."

A melodic female voice interrupted them. "You give them both far too much credit." A lone jackal emerged from a nearby thicket of bushes. "My name's Reirei, and as majordomo, I welcome you to the Pride Lands."

Kopa and Kati shared a glance. "Well, hello yourself." Kopa said with a friendly smile. "My name's Kopa, this is Kati, my girlfriend. We're looking for a place to stay and we hear Pride Rock's got a vacancy when it comes to lions."

Reirei clapped together in a mocking, motherly gesture. "It sure does! Please... come this way. And don't mind the boys. There's quite a lot of them here now."

* * *

"UP!"

With a yelp, Janja flew to his feet and growled at the noisemaker until it turned out to be Jasiri, standing in front of the hyena den's opening.

"Sis? What'd you do that for?!" He shouted angrily.

Jasiri gave him a condescending look. "You said you wanted to be useful, right?"

Janja rubbed his head. "I did?"

"Well, you're not useless, are you?" Jasiri asked.

"Of course not!"

Jasiri nodded, satisfied. "Well, there you go. We're going to take back the Pride Lands and you get to be a big part of our takeover. Big, with a capital B."

Janja rubbed his head again. "Capital of what?"

She groaned. "Never mind. I need you to take the hyena pack to the bottom of the mountains behind Pride Rock. The jackals will see you and think you live there. Then, they'll attack. When they do, we'll spring the trap and capture their leader. You can tell him because he has a gold stick with bright red stones on it. Do you understand?"

Janja shrugged. "I guess."

"Right... so go get those jackals and show 'em who's boss!"

"Yeah... does that mean I'm back in charge now?" Janja asked.

"I said go show 'em who's boss, I never said it was you, furbrain." Jasiri patted his head.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Things are finally heating up. I'm hoping to complete this arc by the end of the year!_

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - I can't really tell how much time I have these days, but at least I got this out now._

 _*Juria - You're fantastic too, for sticking with it!_

 _*LunarWolf0 - I know it's been a while since we saw Kion, but I'd rather not._

 _*Guest - Yes, who knows what Kopa and Kati's hookup might spawn lol._


	44. Chapter 35

Reirei lead Kopa and Kati up the familiar steps of Pride Rock, where Scar, Nala and Tama were already waiting for them.

"Welcome home... bro."" Scar chirpily announced. Kopa's expression was dark, but he remembered why he was here.

"Thanks. I wasn't expecting a warm reception, after what happened the last time we met."

Scar waved with his paw, metaphorically driving away the memories. "The past is the past. This is a new day, a new beginning for us all, isn't it Tama?"

The lioness nodded, with a faint smile on her lips. "Yes, Sire."

"Ah, you see? Your mother's pleased to see you, and so am I. Yes, so am I." Scar assured him and beckoned the couple to join his council in the den. Kopa and Kati followed warily. Reirei came last, curious about Scar's uncharacteristic interest in a pair of Pridelanders.

"You see, Kopa... I have friends in the Outlands. Not Simba's pride, but another one... deeper in the desert. Exiles, you might say. Lionesses so hopelessly lost in dreams that they refuse to accept the reality of my return. I would like you to go there and look after them in my stead."

Kopa frowned. "I haven't even told you why I'm here. Why would you trust me to work for you?"

Scar smiled enigmatically. "Call it a gut feeling." With Kopa in the Outlands, he'd kill two birds with one stone. Tama's loyalty was ensured and Kopa would give him back control over the Outsiders' clan. His power was extended and now, at last, Scar would have allies. Soon he could rid himself of these jackals for good. The only thing that remained now was to turn Kopa over to his side for real... and he had no doubt that he would submit to his mother's will.

* * *

After Scar left to deal with "royal matters", Kopa had a chance to face his mother for the first time since abandoning Vijana's scheme. The two, accompanied by Kati, walked up to the peak of Pride Rock where they could be sure they were not overheard.

"I'm not going to apologise for my choice." Kopa said immediately, skipping small talk.

Tama smirked. "I wouldn't expect you to. But choices have a way of coming back to haunt us. Keep that in mind... and stay on top of things. You are royalty, whether you like it or not. And..." she turned to Kati. "I see love is in the air."

"Leave me alone." Kati said quietly.

Tama rolled her eyes. "And ever so touchy. Well, you'll need tougher hide for where you're going. Zira won't be easy to handle."

"Who is Zira?" Kopa asked. "I didn't know there were any other lions in the Outlands."

"Zira is Scar's old mate, and the mother of his cubs. She's also extremely fierce and dangerous. But it's nothing you can't handle."

Kopa took in a breath of icy air. "Mother, I don't know what kind of game Scar is playing, but I didn't come back to become his errand boy. I'm here to find out about what kind of dark magic his jackals are employing."

Tama nodded. "Rumors are spreading about it here as well, but it's nothing that Scar gave them. I can only assume Reirei got a hold of Ushari's belongings and is using them for the jackals' advantage. Why don't we make a deal? I'll get you whatever it is she has... and you will obey Scar and go to the Outlands?"

Kopa considered the offer. He had no interest in Scar's leftovers, but with a magical weapon in his possession, he could always come back and make things right. In the end, there was no argument. "Deal."

* * *

Mzingo fluttered his wings, trying in vain to get sand out of them. "Oh dear-dear-dear, this climate really isn't for me."

"Well, you could always just... go!" Timon suggested angrily, the heat getting to him too.

"And leave you two to handle important negotiations? No, sir." The vulture spat. "Besides, we should be in their territory by now. Vijana's bound to have us all for lunch at any minute."

"Oh, well that's comforting." Pumbaa grumbled.

Vijana himself emerged from the shadow of a nearby cactus as if speaking his name aloud had summoned him. "You are awfully brave coming back here, Mzingo. I've got half a mind to tear you limb from limb."

"You've got half a mind at the best of times." Mzingo scorned. "But yes, I am aware that my plan backfired, which is exactly why I'm here. Just for a proposal. If you don't like it, feel free to stay in this really terribly dry place." He fluttered his wings again.

Vijana growled. "Your lion Kopa humiliated me! If your latest mindbending scheme involves his demise, I'm all for it!"

"Better: the Pride Lands themselves, handed to you on a silver platter. If we had platters. Or hands."

The young lion king squinted, trying to detect falsehood in Mzingo's voice. Timon jumped up and down in rage. "Wait, what? What's your game, Mzingo?!" He shouted before the vulture hit him with his wing. "Shut up and let me handle this!"

Mzingo turned back to Vijana. "Scar may have won the throne, but his madness has driven away every pride. He is surrounded by mongrels and crocs and other lowlife. It wouldn't be difficult at all to sneak by them and challenge that fool of a king. The throne could be yours and all the lands would see you as their savior. Hmm?"

Vijana remained wary of the treacherous old thing, but his greed was far more powerful. In the end, his desire to rule the Pride Lands instead of this dump overruled his senses. "Hmm... I do like a good challenge. Very well, Mzingo, you'vs talked me into it. But I shall still want Kopa's head."

"And you'll get it! As king of the Pride Lands, you shall have everything! But we must get a move on, immediately."

Later on, as the fearsome lion slept during a break on their journey back, Mzingo finally felt it safe to assure the duo that he didn't truly intend to hand over Kopa or the throne to Vijana, it was merely another lie to facilitate their success.

And as he said that, he rubbed the paw symbol he successfully hid under ruffled feathers. Since Scar had branded him a member of his absurd new Lion Guard(that never came to pass as he soon lost interest in mounting any kind of coordinated defence of the borders beyond piling them with Makuu's crocodiles and Reirei's jackal cousins), Mzingo had felt the pressure of all of his lies weighing him down evermore.

He was old now, ready to drop dead any day. Would this anarchy truly be his legacy?

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Hmm... how about we reveal who really has the magic weapon next chapter? Yes..._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Aww, I love the jackals. I just saw "Babysitter Bunga" actually, ain't they just adorable?_

 _*Sonicbronyuniversez - Yes and kinda. Janja is still a bit of nasty business, but he knows now that he's not from the brainy side of the family._

 _*Leafeon - Thank you!_

 _*Zipporah . Michel - Yes, I'm painfully aware of my tendency to overcomplicate plots over time. XD_


	45. Chapter 36

Jasiri could scarcely hold her breath as she and her attack group concealed themselves in the bushes. This was going to be quite possibly the most important battle in the history of the Pride Lands. It had taken her a while to convince Simba to go along with the plan, given how risky it was, but after a while he allowed her to take several of his lionesses along with the remaining members of the Kupatana Guard to attempt to ambush the jackals and wrest the magical staff from whoever had originally stolen it after Scar murdered Ushari.

With the weapon in the right hands, they could cut right through the bloodthirsty predators surrounding Pride Rock and finally dispel Scar from Kion's body. _I wonder what he looks like now._ Jasiri pondered. The ghostly image she'd seen on Kupatana had been older, but that was a while ago too. Since their separation, she'd grown almost twice as large as before. _At this rate, I'll be in an old crone before we're together again_. She thought with a faint smile.

As the laughing, partying jackals began to approach, led by a mysterious figure hidden by shadows cast by the red light emanating from the staff, Jasiri gave Fuli a hand signal. Nodding, the cheetah took Badili and another leopard, and moved to the back of the approaching party. With several lionesses on the sides and the Guard at the front, the jackals were effectively surrounded in the forest clearing.

Their leader, the figure holding the staff laughed maniacally, causing his dirty black mane to flutter about. With a shock, Jasiri realised he was a lion... and not just any lion. Having lived in the Outlands, she recognised him instantly. It was the dimwitted son of the not-so dimwitted matriarch of Scar's old supporters. "Nuka?" she whispered in confusion.

"We've got 'em on the run boys!" Nuka cackled, his eyes glazed with insanity. He twirled the staff he was holding, making the lights whirl in dizzying fashion. "I tell you, dad's got a point - there really is nothing quite like power! Hee hee hee!' Suddenly he stopped and glared into the pitch black, exactly where Jasiri was standing, frozen. Goigoi ran up to him.

"What's the matter Nuka? You got a stomachache?" The aging jackal joked.

Nuka snarled at him. "Shut up. I can sense something." He gripped the staff harder. Suddenly, his eyes turned as red as the crystals on the staff's sculpted cobra head top, the irises vanishing completely. Instinctively, Jasiri ducked to the side as the spot where she'd stood in burst into flames from red beams of light fired from the staff. Nuka burst into laughter again, although this time it seemed to come unnaturally. He gripped his head, trying to regain control.

"Now!" Jasiri barked and flung herself at Nuka, hoping to take advantage of his moment of weakness. Unfortunately, she got smacked in the face with the cobra statue for her trouble, knocking her to the ground. Fuli and the leopards jumped on the jackals, frightening them, but not enough for them to run off for they had become drunk on their recent victories.

Despite his lack of training or physique, Nuka was able to hold his own against Jasiri simply out of rabid fear of losing the staff until tapping into the power again and telekinetically slamming the hyena into a tree. "You can't beat me, muddy hyena! I'm the son of the greatest king ever born and I WILL claim my..." he screamed until Bunga bit his paw, causing him to shriek in pain and drop the staff.

Though weak, Jasiri pulled herself together and jumped at the staff whilst Nuka was trying to dislodge the badger from his leg. As soon as she touched the wooden handle, the ruby cobra eyes lit up, along with Jasiri's own eyes.

* * *

In her mind, time froze and Jasiri became dislodged from reality... it all seemed meaningless to her now, mere clay to be shaped as she saw fit. With power coursing through every cell in her body, Jasiri thought of getting rid of Nuka, and the runt of a lion was telekinetically flung out of her sight into a thicket of thorns. She barely noticed the screams.

 _I've won._ she thought with glee. _With this, I can do anything. It's mine. All I can see is mine to do with as I wish._

Bunga scratched his head, seeing Jasiri just standing there with her eyes wide open. "Eh, Jasiri, you okay?" He asked.

The hyena twitched and looked down upon him with a fury Bunga had never even imagined she could possess. "Be quiet, you braindead imbecile, or I'll tear every bone from your stinking corpse!" She growled, and then suddenly stopped in her tracks, realising what terrible things she was saying. "That wasn't me." She added quickly.

"Yeah, I kinda got that." Bunga frowned. "Question is, who was it?"

Around them, the battle subsumed as the skilled lionesses rounded up the surviving jackals, now leaderless. It had only been a small group fortunately.

"This staff... it's made of _very_ dark magic." Jasiri said, trying to hold her head above the metaphorical waves of power and madness coursing from the weapon. "And it has a mind of its own."

"Well, that doesn't sound too good." Bunga said simply. "Let's get rid of it." He reached for the handle, only for Jasiri to snatch it away.

"Don't touch it! I'll kill you if you ever..." she screamed before forcing her own personality back on top. "We can't get rid of it Bunga... not yet."

Fuli approached them. "You sure? It doesn't seem like you're really in control of this thing."

 _Fuck you, when have you ever been in control of anything, crycub?_ Jasiri thought. "Tell Simba we will face Scar. Tonight."

 _And then... then we'll see._ She smirked.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Guess who's back? Back again? Rushy's back... at it again! I'm so incredibly happy to be delivering this one to you now, especially as we're nearing the end of the Scar arc. Hope you're still into this old story, if you are then please review!_

 _*LunarWolf0 - Yes, time does pass between chapters, it's so that we don't spend eternity on each storyline._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - What's there not to love about the jackals?_

 _*Juria - Indeed it will._

 _*Guest - If you reread the chapter where they take over, you'll see that Scar specifically mentions why Zira isn't there._

 _*King dedede bobo - Maybe. I did pick it for a reason._

 _*Zipporah . Michel - Question: what can send Scar's soul back? (Hint: not the staff)_

 _*KayHufflepuff4ever - WE ARE THE SAME._

 _*laytonmrbunch54 - Glad to see you're enjoying the story! Give me your full thoughts whenever possible._


	46. Sneak Peek 2017

**"THERE AND BACK AGAIN: A KUPATANA TALE" SNEAK PEEK**

* * *

"That's a lie! A filthy lie from an even filthier _hyena_." Scar growled and extended his claws.

Jasiri gasped. "Look! Look at his eyes!"

They all looked, and watched as the lion's eyes began to change colour. The poisonous green was dying... and the old amber fire returned.

"It's Kion!" Bunga announced. "He's coming back!"

Scar grabbed the eyes that didn't belong to him anymore. "NO! This is not the way it ends!" The scared lion roared and dug deep grooves in the ground with his claws. "I cannot die again, I will not die again!"

Jasiri shrugged. "You're gonna die again." Her voice became cold. "And we will live on just fine without you. In fact, we're gonna forget you. Your reign will be erased from history. Goodbye, Taka."

Mad with fury, Scar attempted to leap and tear out her throat, but he found he couldn't move to harm her. Kion's spirit was already merging with his body, and was holding him back. Scar's eyes then flitted to the edge of Pride Rock. He began to giggle.

"Goodbye Jasiri. But you're wrong you know. No one will forget the lion... who killed Kion." And before anyone could get close to stop him, Scar gathered the last of his strength to throw Kion's helpless form over the edge.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Last Christmas, we found out we can get Kion back. This year, we might just do it... fah lah lah lah laaaaah, fah lal lal laaaa. Also, since some people asked whether the staff is a reference to Jafar's staff from Aladdin, the answer is no... I think. It's actually a reference to an old Lion King fanfic written by "That Person You Might Know", where a villain named Hago used a magic staff with a cobra head. Whether he got it from Aladdin, I cannot say._

 _*LunarWolf0 - Spoilers._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - It's a madhouse next chapter._

 _*zootopiafan - It probably should be paw signal, my bad. Must see Zootopia at some point. I didn't actually think of Jasiri trying to look good for Kion, but that makes it even more adorable. Nuka doesn't have rabies, he's just a bit rabid(it's used often outside of the context of rabies). It means crazed. As for the crycub thing, it was both Jasiri and the staff. It's manipulating her mind._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - They're my favourite characters on the show(especially Reirei)._

 _*laytonmrbunch54 - Then this one's quite the doozy..._


	47. A Kupatana Tale

As the Pride Lands came closer and closer, Vijana grew increasingly restless, much to the annoyance of the rest of the group, even Vijana's own lionesses. He could already see himself on the Pride Rock's throne as ruler of an army of lions with whom he could reshape the world.

Mzingo in particular couldn't wait to be done with him, tired of babysitting megalomaniacs as he had for the last few years of his life. Vijana, Scar, even Janja... they were all the same to him. Dictators simply lacked the self-control to properly manage an animal kingdom the way Mzingo saw it. Better to put Simba back on the throne, if only as a figurehead and manipulate him from there... yes.

The old vulture's troubled thoughts were interrupted when Simba's majordomo, the haughty blue hornbill Zazu landed in front of the group and bowed briefly as a curtsy to Vijana. "Mzingo! I need to talk to you on an urgent matter!" He announced and flew back in the air. Mzingo shrugged and followed him.

"What is it?" The vulture asked, once the two floated amongst the clouds. "I have my wings full of this bunch as it is."

Zazu shook his head frantically. "Never mind about them right now! Jasiri's gone mad, she's going to attack Scar _tonight_!"

Shocked, Mzingo nearly lost his balance. "Tonight?! We're not ready! Half of our army is untrained, not to mention those whose loyalty we've yet to win!"

"Apparently, she's come into possession of a magic staff that gives her supernatural abilities, one of Ushari's leftovers. She hasn't been quite the same since." Zazu explained.

Mzingo thought for a minute. "Look after the warthog and the meerkat, we mustn't lose Vijana's clan now. Keep them on the path towards Pride Rock, we may need them. I'll fly ahead and see what I can salvage from this." He drew in a breath and set off directly towards Pride Rock. With any luck, he'd get there by sundown...

* * *

Kopa wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do once he and Kati returned to the Outlands. He was smart enough to cross the border as far away from Simba's own den as possible, knowing that Scar's old supporters would stay as far away from them as possible.

But still... it was incredibly hard to find lions who didn't want to be found, especially if they'd been practising for years. Kati swatted at the dust on a rock extending from the canyon walls, bored out of her wits.

"I'm sorry, Kati. I guess this isn't a dream date." Kopa said apologetically, noticing her mood. The petite lioness smiled. "This isn't a date, silly, it's a mission. If it was a date, I know it'd be wonderful. I just wish this daft war was over."

"It will be soon." Kopa promised. "Once we find Zira's clan, you can go back to the Pride Lands and retrieve the jackal weapon from Tama. With it, we'll put a stop to the war in a day and by the end of the week, I'll take you someplace awesome." He rubbed against her cheek.

Kati chuckled. "I thought I was supposed to show you aro-" she suddenly stopped, her ears twitching. "Did you hear that?" she whispered to Kopa.

The lion closed his eyes and listened carefully, soon hearing a few rocks being dislodged, and the pitter-patter of little feet. "We're being followed." Kati nudged him to hide behind a boulder whilst she squeezed herself into a small crack in the canyon walls.

Soon enough, a scrawny lioness cub slithered into the natural corridor formed by the walls, taking great care not to be noticed. She sniffed the air and smiled malevolently, knowing her enemies were close. But perhaps closer than she expected...

Kopa jumped out from behind the rock, only to land on his face as the cub took off in a flash. Before she could try and attack Kopa however, Kati tripped her by extending her leg out of the crack. Together, the adults held the vicious little thing down.

"Whoa whoa whoa, calm down now. You're not going anywhere." Kopa said as the little lioness growled and tried to bite him. "Sheesh, somebody got out of the den on the wrong foot."

"She could be from Zira's clan!" Kati reminded him, and Kopa nodded. "Just what I thought too. Hey kid, you think you could give us directions?"

Finally, the cub was willing to talk, if only to satisfy her own curiosity. "What do you want?!" She had a raspy voice.

"We were sent by Scar to negotiate with Zira. Do you know where she is?" Kopa demanded. The cub puffed her chest proudly. "She's my mother! And Scar was my father."

The two adults struggled to contain their shock. "Well... uh... you think you could take us to your mom, then, miss...?" Kati asked.

"Vitani." The cub hissed. "And sure. If you think you'll live."

Kopa and Kati exchanged glances, and they let the cub go. "Thanks, Vitani. I'm Kopa."

* * *

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

With every beat of the staff, Jasiri's destiny seemed clearer to her. It had opened her mind - now she could see all the prattling sides vying for dominance, and the parasites leeching off the would-be kings' impotent rage. The knowledge filled her with a malevolent glee, as if she was privy to a joke nobody else could hear.

Tonight, she would shatter a thousand dreams.

As Pride Rock came into sight, Jasiri paused and drew in the air. Even the simple act felt redundant, as if she was above basic biological function.

 _Dangerous._ thought the raw, animal side of Jasiri that still remembered how to be a hyena. The staff hadn't been kind to Nuka - in fact, it had driven him insane. _But I am not insane. The staff yields to me._

Confidence returned to Jasiri, as images of her past began playing in her mind. Mating with Kion for the first time, him pressing his soft paw on her shoulder to leave the mark of the Kupatana Guard, defeating Janja in combat to reclaim her hyena clan...

"I am Jasiri." The hyena said out loud, smiling. "And only one person has the right to that lion's body... me."

She raised the staff high in the air, and continued to smile as two screams pierced the silence of the night. Reirei and Goigoi floated out of the bushes behind her, levitated by Jasiri's willpower channeled through the staff.

"Uh... howdy!" Goigoi said to break the awkward tension and saluted her. Reirei cringed, noticing the staff. Obviously she was aware of its abilities. "Look, Jasiri, erm... why don't you just let us go? I'll just... scamper away with my kids and we need never bother each other again. Deal?"

With a twitch, Jasiri dragged the two snivelling jackals closer through the air. "Hm... I am kinda busy... " she exaggeratedly considered. "And I guess Kion wouldn't be happy if he woke up and I was all covered in intestines, it'd really mess up my hairstyle, but I'm going off topic now... you know what?" She winked. "I really will let you all go free if you just do me a teensy favor."

Reirei held her paws together in a prayer. "Oh, anything, supreme hyena, anything you wish! Do you want Goigoi? Cause I will give you Goigoi!"

"Hey!" The other jackal whined.

"No hard feelings." Reirei said. "It's the economy."

Goigoi shrugged. "Oh, okay, dear."

Jasiri cackled. "I just want you to tell me what Nuka did with the rest of Ushari's treasure."

Reirei blinked. "That's it?- I mean, uh... well, that is asking a lot, but happy to oblige! It's in his family's den in the Outlands, with that dreadful Zira. But I don't think she knows what to do with any of it, so you and your possessed feline boyfriend are a-okay! Could you, um... let us down now?"

The hyena stroked her staff, unnerving the two even further. "Oh, alright!" She finally said and the two dropped into a pool of mud and ran off into the dark.

* * *

Jasiri waited an hour and then proceeded to Pride Rock. With Reirei's warning, the entire jackal clan were emigrating from the area to get as far away from her and her vengeance as possible. Eventually, Scar's other supporters would get the message too, but it was doubtful whether they'd even show up to defend him.

No, there was nobody. Except the cheetah right in front of her- wait, what?

"Fuli? What do you want?" Jasiri demanded sharply, surprising the other animal with her cold tone. But the hyena really didn't regret it. She had no time for Fuli's hotheaded antics, not when she was so close to winning it all.

 _Winning? I thought I was saving Kion?_

"What do you think?" Fuli asked, deeply hurt. "Look behind you."

Jasiri already knew who was behind her, but to save time, she turned to face Beshte and Bunga. The hippo walked closer. "Magic or no magic, we're still a team. And we're going to bring Kion back together." Beshte declared.

"Yeah!" Bunga yelled and leapt off his bigger friend's back. "I even thought us up a new catchphrase: 'Til the Pride Lands end, Kupatana mend! Symbolic, AND it sounds wicked, like a spell!"

The excitement in his friends' eyes finally defrosted Jasiri's heart and she dropped the staff. "I could use a little help." She admitted quietly. "The evil in this staff is too great for any one person to handle. But together, we might just be strong enough to use its powers for good. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, Fuli."

The cheetah waved it off. "Ah, Hakuna Matata."

"Then what are waiting for?" Beshte asked. "Toss that thing on my back and you can all hold onto it."

And so they did. The group, all holding onto the staff(the power of which was so diluted between them all that it only filled them with adrenaline and kept them totally aware of their surroundings), encountered no resistance as they marched around and in front of the entrance of Pride Rock.

There, Jasiri motioned them to stop and used the magical power to amplify her voice. "Scar! Under the authority of Simba, the rightful king of the Pride Lands, I demand... your cowardly... ASS!"

"Whoa." Bunga said. " _Jasiri, she's layin' some heavy wooords on Scar!_ "

Fuli knocked the badger on the head. "Bunga, what part of your brain told you that now would be a good time for a musical number?"

"All of 'em!" Bunga shrugged, but stayed quiet after Fuli gave him a glare of death.

Meanwhile, from the shadows of the entrance, a lion emerged. It was Kion, now fully grown and with a thick red mane. His claws were perpetually extended and scraped the ground as he walked outside on top of the platform overlooking his kingdom.

"The Pride Lands know only one king, me!" Scar growled. "Ahhh, but is it-? Oh, so it is. Jasiri. A noisy brat just like your mother. And Kion thought he was in love?" He shuddered. "Come up here. Just you, not the rest of this backwater scum."

Jasiri nodded to tell the Guard to back off, and left the staff in their paws. "I know what I'm doing." She whispered and walked up to the top to meet the old villain. She stared at Scar, and he stared right back at her. She couldn't help, but feel relief that she was finally here, finally seeing Kion again.

If the plan works...

Scar stroked her face with his paw, obviously intending to hurt her. "You... are... going to die. Kion will kill you, and Nala... will watch." He grinned and moved away from the entrance so Jasiri could have a better look into the den. She gasped as she saw the Queen herself, comatose. Or was she? As Scar turned away to look back at the Guard, Nala winked at her. Jasiri began to laugh.

"What?!" Scar roared. "What are you making that noise for?!"

"You! You fat old cat!" Jasiri taunted. "You're so old you must've gone senile, or maybe you were just always an idiot and everybody were too embarrassed to tell you."

Scar forced a smile. "What a roundabout way of saying 'I wish to be shredded and left to rot under the burning sun'. Because that is the first of punishments I've in mind for you."

"Oh, I'm not just saying that just cause, I really mean it! Like, what kind of a king loses a kingdom, and doesn't even notice?" She waved towards the Guard. "You can come up, guys! This old ghost has nothing, and can do nothing. Not if he wants to keep his _precious Roar_." She laughed.

Burning in fury, Scar was ready to tear her apart on the spot. "What did you say about my kingdom?!"

"Oh, that?" Jasiri said. "You've lost it. Your jackals ran away from me after I stole Nuka's magic staff. I lead Janja's clan now. And the crocodiles? I don't see Makuu here, do you?" She noticed from Scar's expression that he didn't even know about the staff. Some leader he was.

"Any minute now, Simba and the pride will be here, and they will retake their home whether you want them to or not. You... lose."

Scar twitched. For a moment, Jasiri thought if maybe she'd pushed him too far, and he actually would physically rip into her. But then, he Roared.

* * *

Scar clutched his throat, as not even a light breeze had left it. "No! Not again!" He hissed and looked at where his pawprint mark should be. It had vanished. "Ohhh..." he turned to Jasiri. "For that humiliation, I will..."

"Die?" Jasiri suggested.

"... what?"

The hyena smiled victoriously. "I think this is something we all should hear. Wouldn't you agree, Sire?" Simba and his lionesses arrived to support the Kupatana Guard, and Jasiri. Simba glared at his loathsome uncle. "Yes, Jasiri, I would very much like to hear what you have to say."

"Last Kupatana, I told you all I had a plan to save your prince and this is it! He's used up his Roar again, and this time it passes onto its natural successor... Kion. But oh... now wait a minute... Kion doesn't have a body to go to! I wonder which body nature will choose for him?"

"That's a lie! A filthy lie from an even filthier _hyena_!" Scar growled and extended his claws.

Jasiri gasped. "Look! Look at his eyes!"

They all looked, and watched as the lion's eyes began to change colour. The poisonous green was dying... and the old amber fire returned.

"It's Kion!" Bunga announced. "He's coming back!"

Scar grabbed the eyes that didn't belong to him anymore. "NO! This is not the way it ends!" The scared lion roared and dug deep grooves in the ground with his claws. "I cannot die, I will not die again!"

Jasiri shrugged. "You're gonna die again." Her voice became cold. "And we will live on just fine without you. In fact, we're gonna forget you. Your reign will be erased from history. Goodbye, Taka."

Mad with fury, Scar attempted to leap and tear out her throat, but he found he couldn't move to harm her. Kion's spirit was already merging with his body, and was holding him back. Scar's eyes then flitted to the edge of Pride Rock. He began to giggle.

"Goodbye, Jasiri. But you're wrong, you know. No one will forget the lion... who killed Kion." And before anyone could get close to stop him, Scar gathered the last of his strength to throw Kion's helpless form over the edge.

* * *

The first thing Kion felt after emerging from what seemed to be the deepest sleep of his life were sharp talons digging into his back. He recoiled as soon as he realised that he was hovering over a vast empty space between him and the ground.

Slowly, the ground approached him, until suddenly, he fell like a rock and hit the dirt so hard he lost his breath. He barely noticed a bird flop down next to his head as he gasped for air. As the lion began to calm, he noticed that he was a lot bigger than he remembered being.

And he was surrounded. The entire pride was staring at Kion, who looked around confusedly, until his amber eyes rested on one person: Jasiri. As he observed her now-adult form, all of his memories returned in a flash. "Jasiri..." he breathed. "Will you be my bride?"

The next thing he knew, he was rolling on the ground with Jasiri, who was licking him all over. "Yes! Yes! A million times YES!" she squealed.

"I'm alive too, how thoughtful of you to ask." Mzingo groaned.

Finally noticing the tired old vulture, Kion tried to put Jasiri down, but she wouldn't budge. "Jasiri, I... just one second...! I need to..."

"Shut up and do it later, you are M-I-N-E." Jasiri declared.

Kion popped his head out from behind her neck. "Mzingo, you're hired!" He shouted as the two left to get to know each other again.

The vulture scratched his bald head. "Hired? What on earth is he talking about?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! Blimey, this story arc took a bit, eh? But I've got some juicy stuff planned for next year too, believe you me(and yes, I promise Kion and Jasiri will be together for the whole next year)._

 _FYI, I haven't forgotten about the prompt contest I ran a while back, but I've had to put it on hold this year due to the lack of time I have to write(being in the army), and due to my laptop breaking, so all my stuff is on the USB sticks and I can't use them on my Android without a lot of fuss, so... yeah. I promise to work with them next year, 'kay?_

 _Now, onto my favourite presents... your reviews!_

 _*LunarWolf0 - No... but the staff's still out there, we'll see what happens next!_

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Most everyone's mad here._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - I did a sneak peek last year too. Getting a little greedy, are we sir?_

 _*Kingdedede bobo - Here, have this Christmas turkey of a chapter. That ought to keep ya down for a week or two, lol._

 _*laytonmrbunch54 - On Christmas Eve? What kind of a monster do you think I am?_

 _*patrickharris98 - I rarely have time to write, so that's a little difficult, but you started reading on just ths right time!_


	48. Chapter 37

_Having finally left the cave during their day of lovemaking, Simba and Tama rested near a cool, isolated pool. At last, Simba's eyes had returned to normal, a sure sign that he was no longer in heat and could think straight._

 _A good thing too, the pale lioness thought, as she was now to surely carry the exiled prince's first child in her womb. Up there in those mountains, she'd learned to value assets, and the strong cub from the royal bloodline would make for a fine fighter one day, strong enough to take on that treacherous runt Scar himself. Tama smiled blissfully, dreaming of the days to come._

 _But something was wrong... Simba, with his largely untrained senses, didn't pick it up, but Tama could sense a subtle slither in the grass. An intentional approach. With lightning-fast reflexes, she snatched the snake and held the thrashing thing in a firm grip even as it tried to bite her. "Well, well, what have we here?" Tama sneered. Simba finally felt the disruption and awoke from his slumber. "What's going on?" He asked._

 _"What's going on, is that we have a peeping tom over here." Tama snarled, and held the cobra even tighter._

 _"Gah! Let me go!" The cobra choked. "I didn't mean any harm!"_

 _Simba shrugged. "I don't think he can hurt us, Tama. Let him go."_

 _Tama looked at him as if he was mad. "It's not a question of him hurting us, Simba. It's a question of us hurting him._

 _The lion prince squinted, looking at the cobra. "Hang on a minute. I know this cobra. He's from the Pride Lands!"_

 _Sighing, Tama dropped the snake, who hissed loudly. "Yesss, from the Pride Landsss. I am Ushari, guardian of lost secretssss."_

 _"What are you doing so far out here? There's a desert between this jungle and the Pride Lands." Simba asked._

 _Ushari smiled. "Rumors can cross any obssstacle. I came to see the son of Mufasssa."_

 _Simba backed away instinctively at the name. "There's nothing to see. Nothing. That part of my life has been over for years."_

 _The cobra frowned, but then nodded. "Very well. I wouldn't want to ssstir up painful... memoriesss." He turned towards Tama, who glared at him. "Ah! But I am glad to see that love has not eluded you. Sssooon a cub, yes?" He chuckled as Simba blushed heavily._

 _"Uh, no, no, no. We just met today, and... well, I don't think we're in a hurry to be parents, are we? Tama?" He babbled, obviously unaware that he'd made love with her so many times so passionately that the cub was practically a guarantee. Ushari squinted._

 _"Well..." Tama said._

 _"I can't be a dad!" Simba yelped, panicking. "I don't... I'm not..."_

 _Ushari interrupted him, with a dark glint in his eyes. "A mere jessst, your Majesty, if I may call you as such."_

 _"Just Simba will do."_

 _"With your new life here, we are unlikely to meet again, Simba. I would be very pleased if you'd allow me to perform a... ritual of prosperity... to wish you good luck for the future."_

 _Simba and Tama exchanged bemused glances. "Sure, go ahead."_

 _Ushari slithered closer and revealed his fangs. "Hold out your paws, the both of you." After they did so, the cobra approached Simba first and gently bit his paw, just enough to draw blood. He then repeated the same thing with Tama and dropped the blood of the other on the same spot._

 _"Jiunge nao milele, katika damu!" He muttered, and the wounds began to glow. Beaming, the snake proudly rose up and bowed before an uncomfortable Simba. "Let the bond between you never be broken." He said and slithered away._

 _And in his small, dark heart he chuckled, as now the pair was one, and could never be separate or they'd simply die as one would die from the loss of a limb. They would have a child, and that child would inherit the Roar, and that Roar would allow King Scar's magnificient reign to endure beyond the grave..._

* * *

Simba smiled faintly as he watched Jasiri practically carry Kion away. He couldn't wait to see his own wife again. When Zazu had escaped and brought the message that Nala was expecting him to show up for forgiveness, he'd been over the moon, but facing it now was quite another thing.

The Queen was still inside the den where Scar had left her, staring blankly at a wall next to a smug-looking pale lioness. With a false cheerfulness, Tama jumped to her feet at the sight of Simba. "Oh! How I've not missed you! Do take a good look around, as all this will soon belong to our son."

Simba growled. "What are you talking about?"

Tama merely winked and walked out. "Be sure to tell everyone to give me a big bow, there's a good King."

After she left, Nala finally turned around, looking dreadful. Her fur was messy and unclean, and she looked like she hadn't had much sleep in weeks. Still, her face bore the same obstinate need to win that he had, the same love for adventure that had brought them together in the first place.

"Nala..." He started, but Nala waved him off. "Shut up. I don't want to hear anything right now. Not until I've skinned that treacherous whore and cooked her with some fava beans." She growled. Simba jumped in front of her.

"Wait, please! She has to be put on trial!" Simba protested, and Nala swatted him in the face.

"Trial? TRIAL?! Do you have any idea what I've had to put up with here? My own son possessed by a boundless monster. That bitch flouting her power, strutting about like she owned the place. Well, I am the Queen of the Pride Lands and today I'm judge, jury and executioner. Get out of my way, Simba, unless your want your own scar! The Kings Above know you deserve it!"

Gulping, Simba stepped out of the way. By this point, he hated Tama as much as Nala did, but at the same time, he didn't dare admit that he still held secrets from her. It could break their relationship forever...

* * *

Sitting on a warm rock, Janja and Mzingo observed as Tama left Pride Rock with Nala in hot pursuit. Everyone else were buzzing around them, waiting for the King to make an announcement.

"So, we're the good guys now, right?" Janja asked.

"That would appear to be the case."

Janja scowled. Now that the whole business with Scar was over, he'd remembered how hungry he was. "What do ya suppose they'll do with us? And when do we get to eat? What do we eat?"

"I'll be sure to ask on your behalf." Mzingo replied dryly.

"Yeah, forget that. I got a much better idea." Janja said, eyeing the staff that the Kupatans Guard had set down on the floor. "I overheard Reirei and her jackals say that stick over there can make you brainy like an elephant and strong like... well, an elephant. Now if I got a hold of that..."

Mzingo hid his face in his wings out of overexaggerated exhaustion. "Janja, you're not suggesting we start all of this nonsense all over again, are you? I'm a member of the Guard now, remember? I've duties to... oh no!" He suddenly shouted and slapped himself for forgetting a huge threat still heading towards the Pride Lands with poor Zazu. The vulture took off and shouted: "Kupatana Guard, with me! Quickly!"

Negligent in a hurry, Beshte allowed the staff to bounce off of his back and into wet grass, unnoticed by all, but the ferocious hyena leader.

"Hmm. Be a real shame to waste all that mighty power." He thought out loud. "And who knows? Maybe I can get my clan back after all."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _So lovely to meet you all in 2018! It'll be a few chapters before we move on to the next big storyline, as I think we've more than a few plot threads to tie up beforehand. Hope you enjoy!_

 _*Juria - No need to thank me, it's not a permanent thing(there's mandatory training for future situations in my country)._

 _*Sonicbronyuniversez - And how weird is it to have Mzingo take charge of the Guard, lol? How times have changed._

 _*LunarWolf0 - No, I imagine that'll take another year._

 _*Gracekim1 - Adolescents. What do you mean, creative?_

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Thank you once again._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Oh, a few insane plot twists as per usual._

 _*laytonmrbunch54 - Hip-hip-hooray!_

 _*shadow-dog18 - Have fun!_

 _*Guest - No._


	49. Chapter 38

Kati sniffed the dusty air as the feral little cub took her and Kopa deep into the Outsiders' territory. Their entrance did not go unnoticed, as many of the lionesses immediately began circling them suspiciously, watching their every move. Vitani snarled at them. "I'm taking these two to see Mother!" She said, and they backed off slightly.

In front of the biggest termite mound, she stopped. "Mother's in here." She said curtly and wandered off. Kopa shrugged and cautiously entered the dark room, with Kati right behind him. It took a moment for his eyes to get used to the smothering blackness around him. He then noticed that Vitani had disappeared.

"I don't like this." Kati whispered. Kopa took a few steps forward to the middle of the room, where an ominous column stood. There didn't appear to be any other lion in sight. Kopa coughed awkwardly.

Suddenly, the column began to move and both lions dashed back, realising that it was nothing more than a stump with a fierce, savage-looking lioness on it. She had a notch on her ear indicating a life of conflict, and a distinctive stripe on the top of her head. But most notable of all were her bloodred eyes, devoid of empathy or a moral compass.

The lioness slithered down the stump and faced Kopa. "Welcome to the Outlands, son of Simba."

Kopa twitched. "You know who I am?!"

Zira smirked. "More than a little bit. I remember the cocky little furball whose mother had to bite him for obedience alone. And yet you never moved a brow without my permission. I must've given you quite the fright." Her smile disappeared. "I hope, for your sake, that you've not come to me with lies."

"You mean Scar?"

The lioness growled and began circling Kopa and Kati. "You need not say a word. Scar is here."

Kopa blinked. "He... is?"

"Oh yes. He's _always_ with us. And I am always at his side." She moved into the shadows and motioned for them to follow, which they warily did. Zira led them to a concave on the other side of the hollow termite mound the Outsiders used as a den, where two intentionally made cracks in the ceiling shined on the yellow, brittle bones of a longdead lion. Its skull leered at Kopa and Kati as if amused by their presence, knowing something they did not.

Zira pointed at the skeleton. "My mate lies _there_! His spirit is with me, and me alone! I am his lover, the mother of his cubs and the recipient of his voice now that he has passed on to the Lands Above!" She raged as Kopa and Kati subtly moved back. This wasn't going to end well...

* * *

Mzingo flew high up in the air, as fast as he could. "Hmph. I had to go and become a superhero in old age." He muttered, feeling his joints creak. Soon he saw exactly what he'd dreaded - Vijana's now very hungry and bitter pride, led by a terrified Zazu, Timon and Pumbaa straight to Pride Rock.

The vultute turned around and descended to a clearing where Fuli, Bunga and Beshte had gathered. An attempt had been made to locate Kion and Jasiri, but they had little time to waste. As for Kiara, Simba had expressly forbidden her to remain with the Guard in light of recent events. As such, they were scouting ahead on their own.

Mzingo landed and cleared his throat. "Nearly 30 of them, and they'll be here in an hour. I recommend we gather anyone who's still not worn out of fighting off the jackals and attack immediately. They're as tired as we are and they've also been marching underneath a hot sun in the desert. Aside from the initial moment of adrenaline, we've nothing to fear."

Bunga politely raised his arm. "Yes, Bunga?" The vulture asked.

"What's adrenaline?"

Mzingo waved at the Guard. "Somebody fill him in, I'll go tell Simba."

Beshte coughed nervously. Fuli looked up awkwardly. "Uh... hmmm... yeah, about that?"

The vulture groaned. "It's a neurotransmitter of course. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it. Common knowledge, really."

* * *

As Kula gave the huntresses instructions for the presumably upcoming battle with yet another band of thieves trying to claim Pride Rock, King Simba approached her. "Kula. A word."

The lioness nodded. "That will be all. Move to your positions and await for my signal."

She followed the King up to the currently empty den entrance, where Simba turned around and sighed. "Okay, I know I've not exactly been an awesome King lately..."

"Understatement of the year." Kula snapped. "But go on, your Majesty."

Simba frowned and then looked around to make sure no one was listening. "I have a task for you. It won't be pleasant."

Kula snorted. "I'm a lioness. I can take a battle. I hope you won't forget that again."

"I won't. But now, listen. I need you to go find my wife and Tama... and I need you to make sure Tama stays safe." He raised his paw before Kula could say a word. "This isn't to protect her. She is necessary for the Pride Lands' future in ways I cannot say here and now. I give you my oath as King that when all of this is over, I will tell everyone the full truth. But for now, she has to stay unharmed. Find any excuse, fight Nala off if need be. But unless you save Tama... I will die. And you know what happens then. All of the animals will notice our weakness and they will come for Pride Rock _again_. We can't let that happen."

Kula took a deep breath and shook her head. "And I thought the war was over and we could go back to that whole Circle of Life thing."

Simba smiled sadly. "The war's just getting started."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _I haven't caught up with season 2 yet, but damn, it sounds like they're remaking my fanfic lol. Makes me feel a bit irrelevant, now that the more mature and badass Lion Guard has actually arrived._

 _Oh well! We have so much to get to! Kion and Jasiri's wedding(next chapter? Maaaaaaaybe) the final showdown between Simba and Vijana, and the outcome of Kopa's little visit to the Outlands. And also a war, because peace is for looosers. Lol, just kidding._

 _*Sonicbronyuniversez - Thank you ever so much! I'm glad you've stuck with it._

 _*Anonymous Girl - To be fair to Janja, that staff turns everyone into a creep._

 _*LunarWolf0 - Can you be more specific?_

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - She's Nala, she can hold herself together no matter what._

 _*zootopiafan - It wasn't a legitimate marriage ceremony, just a spell. Nala is Kion's mother of course. Ushari thought that Simba's secondborn child would also be Tama's._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - I think at this point, Mzingo has nothing else to do with his life, so he just goes for it._

 _*Kingdedede bobo - I'm sure something like that will happen soon-ish._

 _*Tamatoa - YES! The future doesn't shine bright for Kopa..._

 _*The Grimm Reaper - I didn't have it specifically in mind, but I do think I have a fairly good handle on how to write for these two_.


	50. Chapter 39

For a few golden, unforgettable moments of joy, the world belonged to the lion prince and his hyena. They dashed about the fields like hyperactive bees, fuelled by happiness and relief. They couldn't stand still and couldn't let each other out of their sight so they just danced together, oblivious to everything, but the devotion they had for each other.

But as the adrenaline began to wear off, Kion's conscience creeped back in and the two settled down on a riverbank underneath a huge tree's cool shadow. "I'm never going to forgive myself." Kion said bluntly as he traced the scar his uncle left him. "Without my Roar, none of this would have happened. Mzingo wouldn't have sent that monster after dad, Scar couldn't have returned and we'd all be fine. I never asked for this."

"What are you going to do now?" Jasiri asked carefully.

Kion shrugged. "How does one try to fix the unfixable? Ono is dead, and he's not the only one. I don't even want to know what my mom went through with him in my body." He sighed. "I guess I just have to go on. But I know... here..." he pointed to his heart. "... that things will never be the same again."

"How could it, when you're marrying such an amazing hyena gal?" Jasiri grinned. "Hey, I was here and I saw the Pridelanders come together like never before! You know what I think? As awful as it may sound, I think this was meant to happen. Things are meant to change, and we have to be there to push them towards becoming better. That's what Ono would have wanted."

"That's a nice thought." Kion said quietly, and hugged his fiancee. "I should probably go find my dad and figure out what his role in all this is. There is some kind of a weird connection between him and Tama, even now."

Jasiri held him tighter. "After we take the week off... maybe I'll let you go. Maybe. Come on, Kion, we beat him. We beat Scar, the war is over. You can ask him anytime. What you _should_ do is remind me what it feels like to have a mate... if you catch my drift." She gave him a sultry grin.

"Hmm? Ohh yeah? Well... I guess the world can wait just a night." He tackled her softly, but firmly. The hyena bared her neck for him.

"Just a night..."

He lowered himself onto her, and into her. Jasiri clenched her hind thighs in pleasure, and moaned. "Kion..." she husked. "Do you remember last Kupatana?"

"Yeah... we met our kids." Kion replied, and returned to the business of nuzzling every spot his mate's delightful body. Jasiri rolled her eyes and took control, pushing Kion over and climbing on top of him.

"We're going to have cubs, Kion." She stated, as a matter of fact and caressed his face with her paw. "Two, beautiful, grey cubs. And we're having them now." Kion snapped at the paw playfully. "No offense, 'Siri, but do we really want to have this discussion _here_? I mean-ohhh yes!-I love cubs-mmm-as much as anyone-AW YEA!-but-but-but it's not the sexiest topic in the world, kay?"

Jasiri harrumphed. "Males. Should I talk about your size?"

"Well, to be fair, I _have_ grown more than a little bit since the last time."

She laughed, and ran her paw through his thickened mane. "Still the prince of haircuts, though."

* * *

 _Kion stood in front of what seemed like Pri_ _de Rock, but somehow, innately, he knew something was wrong with it and that he did not belong here. He couldn't tell whether it was day or night - all that existed in his mind was the Pride Rock-esque... place._

 _Instinctively, he walked up the familiar steps that led to the den entrance, which was pitch black and emanated nothing, but cold. Kion peered into the darkness, until he saw the vague shape of a lion walk out. He gasped as he realised who the lion was._

 _Kion had never met him, but he'd heard enough of that black mane, those poisonous green eyes and the..._

 _"Scar." He whispered. His great-uncle glared at him with absolute hatred._

 _"Run now, Kion." He said in a mocking, silky tone that barely hid his disgust. "Feel the strong earth underneath your paws and the soft wind on your face, and the... warmth of your lover... whilst you can. My soul will not be contained here forever. And when I escape, I will make life as miserable for you as death is to me!"_

 _Kion growled. "Why?! You won already, and it gave you nothing! I could feel it, even when I was dead myself... your confusion, your boredom with ruling! You are not fit to live!"_

 _"No! No..." Scar said. "This isn't about victory, or the throne, not anymore. This is not a hunt, and you are not my prey. This... is a vendetta! And I curse you, Kion, and your father and any of your sick hyena progeny... I will hate you, and hurt you, til the end of time itself!"_

 _With those words, Scar turned around and returned into the unspeakable cold of the cave._

* * *

Kion gasped as he awoke, filled with terror. Fortunately, Jasiri hadn't stirred and was softly snoring beside him. The lion prince stood up slowly and refreshed himself with cold water from the river, but it did nothing to drive away the fear that was now permanently frosting his heart. It was just a nasty dream of course, just something that his terrible experience had conjured up... but if there was anything he'd learnt from being dead, it was to not take chances.

He had to prepare for Scar's eventual return. And this time, he decided, he would confront Scar on his own terms.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _I'm sorry if this chapter isn't very plotheavy, as I wanted to give Kion and Jasiri some chill time lol._

 _And before you tear my head off for using Scar again, this does not mean he is making an immediate comeback. It's just a scene to establish that he will always be a threat._

 _Oh yeah, and no wedding yet. But soon, I promise! This arc won't take that long._

 _*Juria - It does sound a lot more exciting than it used to. Something about the hyenas and jackals teaming up?_

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Lion King 2 is my fav, so of course I wanted to make Zira as cool and crazed as possible._

 _*Sonicbronyuniversez - Yeahhh, but at that stage, why read at all if you have the show?_

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Lmao._

 _*DragoonSensei - Mzingo is well on his way to becoming a badass._

 _*Guest - They were seeing Zira because Tama promised them the staff if he did. And she was hoping that Kopa could take over the Outsiders._

 _*Kingdedede bobo - Oh, I can and I will._

 _*shadow-dog 18 - Thanks!_

 _*Anonymous Girl - Hmmmm... you just gave me a great idea!_

 _*Guest - It's a bit complicated so try and follow me: Scar wanted Zira to be on her side, so sent Tama's son(as he knows Tama is tough and so is her son, probably). Tama wanted Kopa to be king, so told him to go in exchange for the staff. And Kopa just wants the staff because he thinks Scar is still in charge. I'll be discussing Nuka in the next chapter._


	51. Chapter 40

Kula gulped as she followed Nala and Tama's trail into the Little Jungle. This sort of in-fighting went against her nature. She just hoped Simba knew what he was doing, and that he was still on their side. Not that she even knew who the "other side" was now that Scar was gone and his jackals driven away. Oh, how she missed the long gone days of king Mufasa, when the biggest problems were hyena raids, and loyalty and trust in the Pride Lands were absolute. At least that was how she remembered it.

Her train of thought was disrupted by hushed, panicked voices from a nearby clearing.

"... as long as he is around, nobody will be safe!"

"The King has assured us..."

"Him? He was lying on his back for weeks when Kion took control."

"I told you already, that was Scar!"

"Hmph! Zebras do not believe in ghosts. Something must be done!"

Kula cleared her throat and walked into the clearing, immediately silencing the argument between Thurston and Harry the Hedgehog. "What is going on here?" She asked. Thurston cocked his head defiantly. "A lively discussion, before it was rather rudely interrupted."

Harry was a bit more kindly. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

"Actually yes. Has either of you seen Queen Nala?" Kula asked.

"Can't say that we have, though we'd like to. There's a great deal to discuss now that this... ghastly period is over." Thurston declared.

Kula sighed. "Well, don't go setting the Pride Lands on fire with your... lively discussions. We're all still just working things out."

"Are we indeed? It seems to me as if the Queen and Kion have both vanished, probably off doing whatever it is they spent the last few weeks doing."

Kula squinted her eyes and extended her paws. "You sure you wanna say that out loud again? Cause we could easily count you amongst Scar's victims if you don't shut your mouth."

Thurston gulped, and turned to Harry. "Now what did I tell you? It's all a pack of lies!" He ran off. Kula groaned. She wasn't much of a negotiator.

She and Harry were left in awkward silence for a few seconds. "Okaaaaay, I'm off to doing.. whatever it is we porcuhogs do..."

"Porcuhogs?"

"At least that's half right." Harry shrugged and disappeared into the shrubbery. Kula was left pondering over the consequences of her actions.

* * *

The remaining lionesses, the Kupatana Guard and the few animals who agreed to battle for Pride Rock one more time were now in position in whatever good hiding spots they could find as a battered-looking Zazu, Timon and Pumbaa led Vijana's pride to the flank of Pride Rock.

"Here we are... your Majesty." Zazu croaked.

Vijana growled in satisfaction: "Yeeeess..." He turned around and grabbed Zazu. "Find me your king! I want to..."

"I'm already here, Vijana."

The lion king's head whipped to the right to see Simba proudly standing in front on Pride Rock. "If you want something from me, come and get it."

Vijana snarled, and motioned for his lionesses to stand still as he went up the path that lead him to the Pridelanders' den and the extending rock, where Simba casually sat. "So, the little bird lied to me. No matter. I've had enough anyway. I'll kill you and take this fancy spot for myself and my pride."

"Well, I'm not getting any younger. Are you gonna do something or do I have time to take a nap?" Simba quipped.

The taunt worked. The younger lion's entire body became tense and he began to slowly, carefully make his way towards Simba, ready to leap at any moment. With great concentration, Simba kept his breathing normal and didn't move an inch... until he did.

With lightning-fast speed, Vijana flew at Simba, who ducked. The younger lion hit the rock floor head on and land on his back. Growling, Vijana tried to stand up again, but quickly turned dizzy. "I... I can't see." He mumbled and collapsed over the edge, screaming. Patiently, Simba walked down from Pride Rock and approached the fallen king's body, now surrounded by his pride. Vijana was still alive, but incoherent and with several broken bones.

"Hasira Pride!" Simba shouted. "Is it not your way that the slayer of your King becomes your King?"

"The King cannot be King if he is defeated. That is the way." One of the lionesses said.

"Then a King am I." Simba said and bit into Vijana's neck, putting him out of his misery. The lionesses of Hasira Pride bowed their heads in respect.

* * *

"Tell me then, young Kopa, what brings you to my Outlands?" Zira asked with threat in her voice. Gently, she picked up Scar's skull and stroked it affectionately.

Kopa gulped and stuck close to Kati. "Whoever calls himself Scar now... he's taken control of Pride Rock. With the help of a... weapon. And he wants you on his side. I made a deal with my mother to come and try to convince you to go to Pride Rock in exchange for the weapon. If we have the weapon, we can drive him out for good."

Zira raised her eyebrows and smiled malevolently.

"So... we could use your... help?" Kopa stuttered, more frightened than ever. A random scream didn't help. Another lion shambled out of the darkness, with an almost hyena-esque look: grey fur, shaggy black mane and delusional eyes that whittled from one place to another, unable to concentrate. "My staff!" He whined. "It's them, Mother! Them and their Guard! They took my power! Kill them now!"

"HUSH!" Zira shouted and he became docile. "They took your weapon and what little remained of your intelligence, Nuka, not your power. You've never had power, not so much as to clean yourself!" Whining, Nuka ran off.

Zira began to circle the two lions as if they were rabbits she wanted to crush and swallow in a single bits. "I'm not interested in Nuka's toys or what others do with them. He dragged that staff in here, raving about taking over the world. Magic... pah! Revenge is in blood, not trickery. In raw strength, not easy victories! Didn't your mother tell you that? Has she gone soft?"

"Well, you'd probably say that..." Kopa began to say.

"SILENCE!"

Kopa and Kati instinctively shut their mouths as the crazed lioness drew closer. "When you and your mother hid with me, she saved my life. In return, I held my claws in..." she extended her left paw and looked at it. "... and didn't drain you of life as I should have. But that debt is repaid. I convinced my brother, Vijana, to take you two in to the Hasira Pride where you'd never get in my way again. A courtesy I will not give twice."

"Vijana is your _brother_?" Kati gasped.

"And you... are... dead." Zira savored the words. Hearing the shuffling of feet, Kopa and Kati turned around to find their exit blocked by savage, muscular lionesses who probably spent their time doing nothing other than train and hunt for food. Kopa figured he'd have a hard time fighting one of them off, let alone a whole prideful. It was hopeless.

"I want to see it, boy! That fear, the defeat, the knowledge that you will never escape this place!" Zira screeched.

Kopa looked at Kati one last time and drank in her teary emerald green eyes, beautiful light brown belt and white tummy. He kissed her. "I love you. Trust me." He whispered to her and faced Zira.

"Let her go! She's nothing to you. Let her go and I will... bow before Scar. Your Scar." He said.

Zira cackled. "Let her go! BUT...!" She held her paw high. "... not just yet. She will watch." Two strong lionesses forced Kati to the ground and turned her head towards Kopa, whom Zira led back to Scar's altar.

Kopa drew in his last breaths. "You know... looking back... I don't think I ever belonged in this story. But people still liked me more than you." He said to Zira, and bowed. With glazed fury, she raised her paw again, extended the razor-sharp claws and with a swift moment, sliced Kopa's jugular open. Vitani winced. Kati screamed.

The lion prince-who-never-was grabbed his throat and grinned before leaping with all his might onto the altar, destroying Scar's remains entirely.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** _RIP._

 _*Sonicbronyuniversez - I've never seen Steven Universe, though I did hear some fan went insane over it or something, and it gave the creators a bad name?_

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - The dream is probably Phantasm-influenced, been binging those movies this week!_

 _*DragoonSensei - There are none. It's already been established. Poor Jasiri just hasn't got the memo yet. :(_


	52. Chapter 41

Tama gulped as she found herself on the edge of a cliff several miles high. Grinning darkly, Nala approached her.

"Just where do you think you're going to run this time? Maybe if you jump off the cliff, you can worm yourself back to Scar in the underworld."

Tama growled and extended her claws, prepared for a final battle. "I did what I thought was right for me and my family. The strong survive, the weak are killed. It's the law of the jungle, and no fancy speech about the "Circle of Life" can change that!"

"You betrayed me. You even betrayed... the lion you mated with! The King you swore to obey when you became a member of the Pride Lands." Nala spat. The other lioness laughed.

"Kopa will be King." She said defiantly. "And my kind of lions will rule over Africa. They will unite under him and a new age will begin. A pity I won't be there to see it. Go on! Do your worst."

Nala slowly walked closer, careful not to let Tama trick her and push her over the edge. Having trained countless hours together with her, even as cubs, she knew Tama's style of fighting better than anyone. They began to circle one another, waiting to pounce.

Far below in the bushes, a hyena sat and observed the action. In his left paw was a polished wooden staff with a golden cobra on top. The cobra's eyes were made of ruby... the same color as the eyes of its current owner.

With the power of the staff enhancing Janja's vision, he could perceive the magical aura surrounding Tama, as well as identify the curse Ushari had cast upon her all those years ago during Simba's exile. "Whaddaya know." Janja said to himself. "Their souls are connected. So if Nala so much as scratches her, the King feels it too! I think I can get some entertainment outta this..." He sat down to watch them fight, eagerly waiting for the Queen to snap Tama's neck and inadvertently plunge the Pride Lands into another dark war.

* * *

Mzingo nodded in approval as Simba wiped his claws off of Vijana's blood on the grass, and approached his Highness. "Well, that takes care of that matter. I've told the lionesses to introduce the new group to our rules and regulations and so forth, and the rest of the Kupatana Guard is on patrol. Zazu is a bit worn out, so I suppose I'll be your majordomo for the rest of the day."

"I see." Simba said with a wry smile. "Well, I have several important tasks for you then, Mzingo. First and foremost, keep an eye on Kiara and make sure she stays out of any... troubling incidents that may or may not happen. The Pride Lands are not as safe as they used to be, as we both know. Secondly, I want you to track down Kopa, he's- GNNGH!" Simba barely avoided roaring out loud when a pair of battle scratches were torn into his flesh by invisible claws.

Mzingo jumped back. "What in the name of Ahadi?! Your majesty?!"

Another invisible enemy clubbed Simba's head, causing blood to drip down from his left temple. "It's Tama! Nala must've got to her. You have to find them, convince them to stop battling! My life depends on it."

"Affirmative!" The vulture saluted and flew off into the air. He didn't have Ono's eyes, but recognising the Queen, even from this distance, was not particularly difficult. Interestingly enough, however, besides her and Tama, he also spotted a third lioness not far from them, wandering in the jungle. This gave him an idea.

Mzingo tried to swoop down towards her to tell her what to do, but felt an otherworldly force take control over his wings and lead him away, towards and over the cliff Nala and Tama were fighting on. Looking down, he saw _Janja_ , wielding Ushari's staff and forcing him to land. "Ohhhh no." He muttered. "Those dolts! They forgot the staff. Oh wait, so did I. How embarrassing."

Janja laughed out loud as Mzingo flopped down into a pool of mud in front of him. "Well, will you look who it is! The King's new major dodo! Flew into a cloud or something?"

"A shame that staff can't give you a sharper wit. You just had to, didn't you? Even when we nearly caused the downfall of the animal kingdom, you're still thinking with your stomach!" He scolded.

Janja smiled. "Let me tell ya something a wise old hyena told me: your tummy's always gonna be bigger than your brain!"

"Oh yes, Banzai, great philosopher that he was." Mzingo rolled his eyes. "Well, I hope you're satisfied. Because when Simba dies, it really will be war and I can't imagine the lions will show you much mercy."

"Mercy?" Janja cackled. "What do I need their mercy for? With this staff, I own the Pride Lands! I'll have Queen Kiara kissing my paws before the day is done! And Jasiri too. Nobody takes my clan away from me! And you, birdbrain, can have all my leftovers if you join me. It'll be just like old days... except we'll be the ones in charge."

Mzingo glanced upwards and noticed Kula approaching Nala and Tama. "You really think your pretty staff will put a dent in the Circle of Life? Even Scar couldn't hold it for long. No... I'm part of the Kupatana Guard. I will defend the peace."

* * *

Tama crashed onto a pile of sharp pebbles and grunted in pain. The Queen was better prepared for a battle than she'd anticipated, with plenty of cheap tricks she'd never even shared with her. She was bleeding pretty badly.

"Give it up!" Nala shouted. She wasn't a vengeful person by nature and had gotten the anger out of her system. "This is useless. I'll take you back to Pride Rock, Rafiki will fix you up. And then you can go, for good."

Tama spat. "Kill me."

Nala shook her head.

"Kill me!" She shrieked and as a last resort, tried to move towards the cliff, knowing that Kopa's main chance to be King was for Simba to die, now.

"STOP!" A third voice halted both Tama and Nala. It was a younger huntress, Kula. She bowed before Nala. "Your Majesty, I was sent by King Simba. He requests you show mercy to Tama, she is required for something."

Nala smirked. "I can do that. Whether I'll show mercy to him is another thing altogether."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _OMG, I finally saw Rise of Scar and I'm sooooooo excited! Is Makini adorable or what? I already love her more than Rafiki, that old sod. And that dark Roar, hell yea, I'm back to being a full Lion King fanboy._

 _*Sonicbronyuniversez - I was having a really fruitful day. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well._

 _*Zootopiafan - Oh, they got the chance to lion with each other all right. Not a legit curse, just a "I am SO coming back to screw you over". No intentional homage to Revenge(though I love that movie), what made you think so?_

 _*LunarWolf0 - I'm actually planning to recap things next chapter, but can you tell me what part confuses you?_

 _*Guest - The updates come when they come. No set schedule with my kind of life._

 _*Kingdedede bobo - Kati's fate will be revealed soon._

 _*Juria - The Final Arc._


	53. Chapter 42

When Janja realised that Mzingo had diverted his attention to let Kula resolve the situation, he took off down the hills immediately in a huff and forced the vulture to keep up with him via the power of the staff.

"Where are you taking me, Janja?" Mzingo demanded. "I told you already, I won't work for you. So you might as well... kill me now... oh, this is why I hated heroic defiance." He muttered to himself. "Let's forget that last bit. Where are you taking me?"

"Back to where it all started." Janja growled. "It's better this way. Simba will get to lose his son all over again. And Jasiri..." he laughed maniacally. "She will know not to try and get the better of me, ever again! Ever again meaning for the five minutes I let her live, that is."

Mzingo rolled his eyes. "She'll give you the clan back if you need it this badly, what has Kion or Simba got to do with it? They gave you a second chance after Scar!"

"The last mistake they'll ever make!" Janja declared. His mind appeared to fracture every time he used the staff, becoming more and more infused with bloodthirsty madness beyond his original greed. "You think I wanna go back to what I was, a fancy leech on the side of Simba's pride? With this, I don't even have to fear the Roar. I'll call up the hyenas, _and_ the jackals, and the snakes and skinks and tigers and crocodiles and anyone else smart enough to obey, and I will rule from Pride Rock like nobody before! Cause that was Scar's flaw, ya see... he had the smarts, but not the muscle to back it up. I got muscle... I got muscle enough for everything alive, everywhere I see."

To demonstrate, he set the the trees around ablaze, and forced Mzingo to stand still. Janja turned around and faced him as the flames began to lick closer to the vulture.

"You may have gone soft all alone without your precious parliament, but a vulture's a vulture. Every situation there is, you prey on it and rip out the best scraps for yourself. Now look at me." Janja hit the end of the staff on the ground. Mzingo felt a shudder go through him.

And the maddened _hyena_ began to sing, a devilish smile on his face:

 _"Oh to think I've waited this long, t_ _o take the reins and prove them all wrong!_

 _I've been blinded by Kion's light, lost underneath Scar's shadow._

 _But my destiny was always there, I will be the one they will all bow to!_

 _For now, the power is miiiiiiiine!"_

Without fear, Janja stepped into the flames, but remained unharmed and grasped Mzingo with lunatic enthusiasm.

 _"The power is mine to do as I please, I'll hunt these animals til the end of all days,_

 _my kingdom will be one without beginning or end, a circle of death, where only victors ascend!_

 _For now, the power is miiiiiiiine!"_

Mzingo blinked and coughed as the fire and heat surrounded him. But no matter what, he could still hear Janja's growling... familiar and tempting voice.

 _"On their brightest day, I'll take my revenge, for this wedding all Pridelanders will surely attend..._

 _And they'll see...!_

 _Only me...!_

 _Only the power, and they'll kneel, once the Guard is brought to heel!_

 _For now, the power is miiiiiiiiiine!"_

Suddenly, the threatening fire vanished and Mzingo was left in a dizzy, ashy field. His vision was blurry and he couldn't find Janja in all the grey.

 _"Yes, the power is mine, the power's all mine... and you gotta choose your side._

 _Come with me, burn with me, and we'll show that hyena bride_

 _how to win a war in stride..."_

Mzingo was released from the restraints of Janja's spell and got up immediately, shaking off the dust and his own fears. Now it was his turn to sing:

 _"... for now, the power is youuuuuurs!_

 _AND YOU'RE A FOOOOOL! Your power's nothing compared to mine! Wasted my life, well that's just fine!_

 _But now I've found my heart and I will stand for my Guard and the right to live freely, which by now should be COMMON KNOWLEDGE, REALLY!"_

Silence. Janja began to chuckle whilst Mzingo breathed heavily, having released all of his pentup tension, fears and doubts into one mad hope that being good for once would be enough to let him win. Suddenly, he felt his chest clench and collapsed in pain. "What...?" He gasped.

"I can see your heart beat, Mzingo." Janja said. "You're older than dirt. Did ya really think I was gonna drag a useless bag of bones like you along? Gimme a break. I just wanted to see the great smartbrain talk himself to death. Bye-bye Mzingo. Give my regards to Scar!" Laughing wildly, Janja left Mzingo writhing on the ground, suffering from a heart attack.

* * *

Having asked a pair of rhinos to transport the incapacitated Tama over the edge of the Pride Lands, Nala and Kula returned to Pride Rock to find a very nervous group of lionesses in need of leadership.

"Report." Nala said, to the point as always.

The lionesses bowed before her, and one of the older ones began to speak: "Your Majesty, we are in dire straits. The King has been heavily injured by an unknown magical force, and Rafiki is tending to him, but even worse, we cannot control any of the herds. They're refusing to follow orders or even advice from us unless it comes from either of you."

"That's not all!" Another lioness interjected. "They are openly hunting down Kion as a traitor. Nobody seems to accept that Scar was in control of him. Thurston got them all riled up. And Vijana's bunch didn't make things much better. We still don't know where Kion and Jasiri are, but I sure hope they're having a great honeymoon.

Nala sighed. "What do we have, under our control?

The first lioness shrugged. "Pride Rock. Ourselves. What's left of the Kupatana Guard and Fuli's few friends, though we haven't heard from them in a while. Maybe the new lionesses, with your authority. Oh, and Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki. They're in the lair."

"The war's just getting started..." Kula mumbled to herself. How will they ever rebuild what they used to have?

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Hmm. Where have Kion and Jasiri got to, now? Is Mzingo a goner? What are Simba and Nala going to do to save the Pride Lands(and their romance)?_

 _All will be revealed... soon. Don't forget to review and give me some feedback on how all this is working for you! It helps enormously to increase my confidence and skill._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - And so are you!_

 _*zootopiafan - You don't need to point out every grammatical error I make. But yeah, the Simba and Nala reunion will be... interesting._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - Now, who else shouldn't die in your opinion? Mwahahahaha!_

 _*LunarWolf0 - That's alright. Oh, and I moved the recap to the next chapter(when Simba and Nala reunite). But I hope that catches you up._

 _*Guest - That's the spirit!_

 _*shadow-dog18 - I'm glad I'm keeping you hooked!_


	54. Chapter 43

_Simba had never felt this upset in his life. Well, once. But that was amongst the memories that Nala's return had unwittingly stirred. He'd literally spent years putting his father's ghost behind him and for some reason, his best friend and lover insisted on trying to return him to a life he had chosen to abandon. It was his choice! He had no obligation to return and fix whatever mess his uncle had made._

 _"I left to find help!" Nala shouted. "And I found you! Don't you understand? You're our only hope!"_

 _"Sorry." Was all the answer Simba could give her. Nala was far from satisfied. "What's happened to you?" She asked. "You're not the Simba I remember." It seemed to her as if the daredevil cub she'd adored had somehow been beaten down, but she couldn't discern how._

 _"You're right! I'm not. Now are you satisfied?" Simba snarked, the tension getting to him._

 _Nala frowned. "No. Just disappointed."_

 _Simba began to walk away. "You know, you're starting to sound like my father."_

 _"Good. At least one of us does."_

 _The lion prince struggled not to roar at her. "Listen, you think you can just show up and tell me how to live my life? You don't even know what I've been through!"_

 _"I would if you would just tell me!" Nala pleaded._

 _"Forget it!"_

 _"Fine!"_

 _And with those hastily said words, Simba took off, fuming in anger fuelled by his old fears and guilt. He hurried out of the suddenly claustrophobic jungle when suddenly, he heard a wolf whistle and turned around. The lion gasped._

 _"Howdy, Simba. In trouble with the mate?" Tama smirked, concealed behind a bush._

 _Simba took a step backwards. "You... I thought you never wanted to see me again?" In spite of Ushari's 'ritual of prosperity', the pair had failed to stay a pair after the initial glow of mating for the same reason that they never clicked as cubs back in their innocent days - Tama was too self-absorbed and blind to the needs of others whereas Simba valued loyalty and friendship, most notably Timon and Pumbaa whom Tama usually referred to as "appetiser and dinner". That, plus a trait she shared with Nala, the neverending nagging for him to go back and regain his throne._

 _The lioness slithered out of the shadows, and Simba noticed that she'd put on quite a bit of weight. "Well, let's not dwell on words said with hot heads, eh? But I'm not here to resume our... thing... clearly you're_ _having so much more success with Nala..."_

 _"Oh, shut up." Simba muttered. "I've got more than enough on my plate right now without you taunting me."_

 _"And as fun as that would be, I'm not here for that either. I am here, because right now, I feel like I've been through one bad fight, yet the funny thing is, I haven't been in a fight since... well, since we last met. But I think you have."_

 _Simba frowned. "Why?"_

 _Tama's amusement seemed to disappear. "Have, or haven't you? Please, just answer the question." She subconsciously rubbed her stomach. If anything happened to her..._

 _"Alright, yeah. When Nala showed up, we had a bit of a scuffle."_

 _Tama nodded, and extended a single claw on her right paw. "Okay then. Now let's make a test." Without flinching, she cut deep into her left arm. Simba, on the other hand, did flinch. But out of his own pain, not blood. To his utter shock, blood began to flow from his own left arm, from a cut that wasn't there before._

 _"What is this?!" he roared. "What is happening?!"_

 _"It can only be dark magic. That snake, that cobra who 'blessed' us, he put some kind of binding curse on us. If either one of us gets hurt, we both get hurt." Tama stated._

 _Simba clenched his teeth. "Ushari. And he's..."_

 _"Back in the Pride Lands. Where I doubt you'll get very far without having to face your uncle. And your... demons." Tama said, casually licking the blood from_

 _her arm. "And when you do, I'll be right behind you."  
_

 _The lion prince merely harrumphed and took off into the field, muttering to himself: "She's wrong. I can't go back. What would it prove anyway? It won't change anything... you can't change the past." He looked up to the stars, wishing he could see his father again._

* * *

Nala examined the lair of Pride Rock for a moment, taking in the memories. The place had somehow alternated between being a warm, cosy home and an inescapable claustrophobic prison over the years, depending on which King ruled it. But now it was the setting for a confrontation long overdue. "Everyone. Outside." Her tone allowed for no argument. With bows, the lionesses, Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki all shuffled outside the cave as Nala approached the King. With a sort of bitter amusement, she recognised that technically, all of his injuries had been inflicted by her during her fight with Tama.

"I beat you up pretty bad, didn't I?" she joked.

Simba coughed. "Yeah. I'd forgotten how good you were. In more ways than one."

"You forgot nothing, Simba. You just betrayed me. You lied to me. You've been lying to me ever since we met in that jungle. For all I know, you might've been lying to me even when you were a cub. So, long story short, I have no idea who you are, your Majesty. Other than pretty lonely unless you spill your guts now." She eyed his wounds. "Errr, metaphorically speaking."

With difficulty, the lion king got on his paws and faced his wife. "Yes. Yes, I did. I guess I have more of my uncle in me than I'd care to admit. But one thing became another and it just... snowballed. I was scared of telling you about Tama because I didn't want you to think you were a second choice. Not to mention you two were close friends. And I definitely didn't want you to know that we were magically... bonded, or whatever it is. But I swear on my father's name, I had no idea she had a cub, or that she'd try anything like this. The only reason I agreed to let her stay here was because I figured it'd be safer for the both of us. That's the truth. That's it." _  
_

Nala raised an eyebrow. "And because you didn't trust me to love you in spite of you having a previous lover, which, for heaven's sake Simba, you're entitled to have a past... she ended up falling for Mzingo's scheme to send all of the Pride Lands' enemies at us at once to distract us from him using Ushari to bring Scar back in Kion's body out of a petty need to see her child on the throne. Which only didn't work because Scar himself killed the snake and left his stash of magical items for anyone to steal."

"... yes." Simba mumbled. Nala seemed to be following this a lot better than he was.

"So how can I trust you to love me now?" Nala asked honestly.  
As Simba was trying to come up with an answer, Timon hurried in. "Simba! SIMBA!"

Silently grateful for the distraction, the lion king turned to his friend. "Timon? Whoa-whoa-whoa, what's the matter?!"

Timon gulped. "... it's Kion. I think the both of ya oughta come and see this."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _I've heard plenty of worried comments lately about how I seem to be setting things up for a new, even more bloodthirsty war and I just wanna take this oppurtunity to say... just wait. Just see. Maybe I'll only kill half the pride. So the rest can cry for chapters and chapters.  
_

 _..._

 _On an unrelated note, happy Friday the 13th!_

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Busy? Doing something other than reading Lion King fanfiction? For shame!_

 _*LunarWolf0 - This cleared everything up, I hope?_

 _*Anonymous Girl - I like Makini too, maybe I can include her in this before it's all over._

 _*Sonicbronyuniversez - A final match between him and Kion is inevitable..._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - We're moving onto the final arc now, so brace yourself..._

 _*Kingdedede bobo - Follow my leaaaad, that's all you neeeeed, I have a plaaaaan._


	55. Chapter 44

With help from Pumbaa and Nala, Simba was able to limp outside of the den, where Kion awaited them. He had something in his mouth, which he spat out in front of the king. The something turned out to be a rather terrified Harry.

"Kion? What is this?" Simba asked.

Kion glared at the little creature. "Tell him!" He ordered. Shivering, Harry stood up. "Your majesty, on behalf of the herds... well... we've taken your Guard prisoners."

The announcement was enough to erase any memory of pain from Simba's mind. "WHAT?!" He roared. "Why?! And on whose authority?!"

"I-I..." Harry stuttered before Kion knocked him aside in anger. "It's Thurston." The lion prince growled. "He and the other herd leaders refuse to believe that Scar took control of my body. So, they want my blood or they're going to feed the Guard to the crocodiles. And Makuu doesn't have a problem with that."

"After everything the Guard's done for them? I don't believe it!" Timon exclaimed.

Kion nodded. "Me neither. Until I saw it for myself. Me and Jasiri were on our way back when we found them. I left her there to try and keep them calm." He scoffed. "At this point, they'd rather trust a hyena than me."

Nala raised her eyebrows. "I am not surprised. You may be back, Kion, but many of them know Scar only by your face." Kion flinched.

"Dis not good. Not good at all, no." Rafiki hummed, and stroked his beard in thought. "No, big change is needed in the Pride Lands for this circle of death to end. Big change indeed."

"There will be no circle of death!" Simba stated, gritting his teeth. "We will convince the herds to release the Guard peacefully. I will address them. All of them. Spread the word. Where is Mzingo?"

Everyone looked around, confused. "Nala, I sent him to find you."

The Queen shook her head. "I never saw him." Simba sighed, and turned towards Harry.

"Listen, Harry. And listen carefully. You will return to Thurston and tell him that I wish to address my subjects. _All_ of my subjects. Treat it as you would a presentation of a new heir. I want every animal in the Pride Lands to come to Pride Rock. Their safety is guaranteed by my word. You may go." Harry bowed nervously before running off as fast as possible for a... pointy creature with small legs.

"What are you going to tell them, dad?" Kion asked.

Simba looked towards the horizon in trepidation. "The truth. I have failed to live up to my responsibilities. If this kingdom is to survive another day, I must do just that. In the meantime, Kion, I want you to oversee the huntresses. You know all about patrols by now - make sure Pride Rock is well defended. Timon, Pumbaa, follow Harry and spread the word about my summons. Rafiki, I need you to stay here for now in case something else goes wrong. Nala..." He turned around and faced his wife. "No words can repair the damage I've done to us. But I believe actions are a good start. Will you help me come up with a plan?"

She nodded. "We'll get them back."

* * *

An uneasy night fell on Pride Rock. A few of the lionesses prowled around the territory, ready to call for help at the earliest sign of trouble. The rest slept in the den. Kion stood on the very top of the mountain, overseeing the whole of the Pride Lands, and looked at the stars. "I know what I have to do, Grandfather. I know there's no other way. I'll do it. Tomorrow. But not before I wed Jasiri. I will take that one day. That day belongs to us. But then..."

"What then?" Another voice asked, having snuck up on Kion in the middle of his pondering. The lion prince looked behind him. "Kiara! Hey!" He walked up to her and nuzzled his sister. "I missed you, believe it or not."

"Oh, I believe it, I missed you too." The two settled down on the stone floor next to each other. Kion smiled. "You're big now. It's almost time for your first hunt."

She chuckled. "I'll do horribly. They're keeping me cooped up in here. Guess they don't want me to go off resurrecting other evil relatives."

Kion's gaze hardened, and for a while, the two just sat there, happy to be in each other's company for once. Somehow, they both knew it was the last time.

"Kion..."

"Yeah?"

Kiara gulped. "Can we... play?" Kion looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "... what?"

"You know... play? Hide and seek? Tag? Pinned ya? I don't remember the last time we played." She said.

The lion prince smiled. "That's probably because we really didn't, much. But sure, we can play." And so they did, the whole night, as neither could or wanted to sleep. At one time or another, they woke up every member in the pride, but nobody minded as it had been a long time since they'd seen anybody happy, and it made them happy too.

Then came the dawn(far too soon, as it is when you're having fun), and with it, the animals began pouring in. Elephants, rhinos, crocs, birds of infinite variety, zebras, antelopes, giraffes et cetera. All came to hear the words of the Lion King. All except one.

* * *

From within the deepest slumber, Mzingo returned to a world of weakness and confusion. His vision was blurry, he felt as if a tree had fallen on him and the less said about his head, the better. It took the usually sharp vulture a full minute to recognise his surroundings: the tree of the Royal Mjuzi where he'd once been kept prisoner.

"Why... am I... here?" Mzingo enunciated slowly, trying to grasp control of his sluggish body. Nobody responded. He appeared to be alone. But at least he was alive. And judging from the cool bandage on his head and the pile of leaves underneath his body, he appeared to be cared for. Well, the vulture had never shied from new experiences.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Now, a subject that I've avoided discussing for a while are the prompt chapters that I introduced last year as part of a contest, which would go on to become a 10-chapter spinoff. I never finished these for the simple reason that my laptop broke and then I ended going to the army as part of a mandatory 11-month service(which is nearly over now). A lot of stuff came up and I simply did not have the time to focus on coming up with extra stories._

 _However, now that I'm mostly back in business, I intend to finish these chapters(though I bet half the people who took part have stopped following this story) and post the spinoff before I'm over and done with Mkuu Na Ombaomba. It's been a clunky run, but I'm still helluva proud of this story and I think I learned a lot about writing that I'll carry over into any future career._

 _*AlphaWolf97100 - Who isn't busy, lol? I got college and military stuff happening at the same time._

 _*Juria - I know. And I love it._

 _*Reverend I'm a Jesus Freak - That is kinda my writing style... I had a fanfic years ago that I sadly deleted, which was supposed to be about Vitani and Kion going on vacation together. Few chapters in and it became about Timon trying to become an evil dictator lmao._

 _*LunarWolf0 - A recap is, by definition, a summary of events. Nala summarised the events that led up to present day. If you want a "Previously On Mkuu Na Ombaomba", then unlock your private messaging and I'll be happy to do it._

 _*DragoonSensei - This has been a great week for me._

 _*Kingdedede bobo - *sneaks off to get fire extinguisher*_

 _*Sonicbronyuniversez - It wasn't meant to be similar to the first movie, but literally be the same scene from the first film. Simba reunited with Tama shortly before meeting Rafiki and seeing Mufasa's ghost._

 _*zootopiafan - I wish I could say dirty minds think alike lol, but nah. And speaking of grammatical accuracy, your own comments leave much to be desired in that aspect if I do say so myself. No offense._

 _*Anonymous Girl - I hope so too._


	56. PROMPT 5

**PROMPT CONTEST CHAPTER 5/8**

 **"Kion and Jasiri's cubs are having nightmares and being haunted by the ghost of Scar, sort of a crossover with A Nightmare On Elm Street with Scar's spirit in the Freddy Kruger role." - Juria**

* * *

Feeling fear spread through every atom of her being, Anna scurried from one dark corner to another. She wasn't sure what she was running from. All she knew is that she didn't want to be caught. The cold moonlight shined on the Pride Lands, making her job all the more difficult.

A ghastly, malevolently gleeful voice boomed across the hills. "Aaaaaannaaaa...!" The hunter was toying with her, letting her know that he knew exactly where she was and was taking all the time he wanted. From behind a corner, Anna spotted a glowing poison-green eye staring at her. Her breath hitched. The silhouette of a lion emerged from the bushes and grinned.

"Come now. Come to your King. Come to _Scarrrr_!" The lion taunted her. "Come!"

Scar raised his paw with the claws extended and as Anna looked on in horror, it grew in size until it blocked out the moon in her eyes. And then it swatted her away as if swatting a fly and Anna flew through the air, like a bird. The next thing she knew was pain as she crashed into a wall. Pride Rock's wall, to be exact. Terrified, she scurried up onto the rock, where she saw the den entrance. Home!

She jumped into the opening and ran as deep into the den as she could before cowering. And that's when the opening shut and Anna realised the floor was soft and wet. Laughter filled her ears as she lost her footing and was crushed and swallowed down a giant dark throat...

Anna's eyes flipped open and she screamed with all her might, causing the entire pride to wake up and check for intruders. Kion and Jasiri rushed to their little girl to calm her down.

"Anna?! Anna, look at me!" Kion said in his most assuring tone. Anna slowly stopped hyperventilating and began feeling terribly embarrassed at having everyone staring at her. "Was it... him... again?"

The little cub nodded solemnly. "He ate me."

* * *

"This is getting ridiculous! I'm not just going to stand by and watch my cub be terrorised every night!" Kion growled furiously.

After the latest episode, Kion and Jasiri had decided to go take Anna away from the pride to see Rafiki, who was poking and tickling her all around, making the cub laugh and at least briefly forget the nightmares.

"If we don't find a solution here, we should take her for a road trip. Sightseeing, you know? Distract her with new stimuli, maybe that will help." Jasiri suggested.

Kion nodded and grumbled: "I guess that's a start."

Finally, Rafiki rose and left Jasiri to play with the little cub whilst he took Kion aside. "Dis very serious, very serious." He whispered. "De dreams, they are not natural! We must be veeeery careful in how we proceed!"

"What does that mean?!" Kion asked, desperate for information.  
"We must teach little Anna the power to take control of her dreams, to fight back and stop Scar from being reborn through her." Rafiki explained.

Kion's eyes bulged. "Reborn through her-?!" Rafiki hushed him.

"Whether real or not, de fact is dat de spirit of Scar is haunting her dreams. To get rid of it, she... must take control. Rafiki can teach her, yes! But you must leave her here with me. Dis will take time."

Kion glanced at his Anna, happily playing with her mother and winced at the thought. "For how long?"

Rafiki shrugged. "How long it takes to beat this."

* * *

After Kion and Jasiri had gone, Rafiki sat down next to Anna, who was staring at the paintings Rafiki and the previous Mjuzis had drawn over the decades.

"You like de pictures?" Rafiki asked. "Look at dat one." He pointed at the depiction of Anna's grandfather Simba defeating Scar at Pride Rock and his body falling down below where the hungry hyenas awaited...

"Scar wasn't nice." Anna said.  
"No, he wasn't." the old baboon agreed with her. "Why do you dink I'm showing you dis?"

Anna frowned. "To help me not have bad dreams? If my grandpa beat Scar, maybe I can too?"

"Maybe... or maybe not."

Rafiki sat down, smiling. "Maybe it will remind you dat Scar was betrayed by those little mutts down dere. You see..." he raised a finger. "De hyenas, they were Scar's only friends. But when he said... a little lie to alleviate de situation, de hyenas, they couldn't get it into their thick heads that he was doing it all for dem. So they'd have a king. But then again... who can ever rely on a hyena?"

Anna started to breathe heavily, upset. "My mum is a hyena."

"Maybe it will remind you dat Scar was bitten and burnt by his friends until nothing remained. And now Scar will bite and burn Simba." Rafiki grabbed his bakora staff and jumped to his feet. "The pain of losing you will fuel his revenge. You understand?"

"No." Anna said, starting to cry. "I wanna go home now."

Rafiki mimed her in a mocking tone. "I wannnaaaa go hoooome nooooow! I wish I could see the look on your grandfather's face when he finds out I'm back!" He transformed into Scar and slapped Anna so hard with his paw that she fell out of the tree and into the mud. Anna hadn't even noticed when it begun to rain. She turned around and looked back to see Scar laughing maniacally inside the tree as lightning illuminated the whole field. The world around them fell away to oblivion. Anna desperately tried to reach the tree, but she didn't have fast legs and fell, fell away...

As she fell, Anna's body turned around to face madness underneath: a hellish, lava-covered version of Pride Rock surrounded by demonic, glowing versions of the hyenas, much bigger than any Anna had ever seen. Rapidly she fell towards this and straight into a hyena's mouth.

Anna's eyes flipped open and she screamed with all her might, causing the entire pride to wake up and check for intruders. Kion and Jasiri rushed to their little girl to calm her down.

"Anna?! Anna, look at me!" Kion said in his most assuring tone. Anna slowly stopped hyperventilating and began feeling terribly embarrassed at having everyone staring at her. "Was it... him... again?"

The little cub nodded solemnly. "He ate me."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Guess who's back? Back again? Rushy's back. At it again... yeah, been a long while, but I am still alive and writing. And finally progressing with this long-ass prompt contest that is STILL going on because goddamn it, I am sticking to my word even if I do procrastinate longer than a grumpy turtle._

 _*sonicbronyuniversez - I'm sorry to have kept you waiting all this time, but I do promise the finale will be worth it once I actually get there._

 _*Nicki Minaj fan - I know, right? I have terrible taste._

 _*LunarWolf0 - Done what?_

 _*Derick Lindsey - Ohh you are in so much trouble. And yeah, I might have to rewrite that Dictator Timon fic one day, just for the nostalgia!_

 _*Juria - Mzingo is still alive because somebody helped him out._

 _*Kingdede bobo - Oh shit. *throws table to block and jumps into the ocean*_

 _*Aster220 - April Rains Reviews? Who's that?_

 _*Madison Pettis - Why do you hang out on a low third party site? And whilst I do appreciate the honesty, I'd also appreciate constructive criticism._

 _*Dragonasaurus - Awww yea, my man is back! High five!  
1\. Lesson of the day: Scar sucks. But killing Ushari seriously bit him in the butt, because now all his magic stuff is all over the Pride Lands. _

_2\. Never._

 _3\. The irony being that Tama never really had the staff nor was in any position to get it. So Kopa died for nothing. And Kati, well, I have things in mind for her... as I always do._

 _4\. I think a character is more interesting if he's not just pure evil. But don't think Mzingo is pure good either. Everything he's done, he's still done and is fully capable of repeating if given the right motivation._

 _5\. The show has featured tigers, so I'd assume he meant tigers._

 _6\. The Guard mean well, but it's been well documented that many animals are just out for themselves, especially when frightened and confused. Scar's return in Kion's body naturally caused huge changes that the Guard... may never recover from. Spooooooilers._

 _7\. She knows magic exists, but doesn't believe it has the ability to resurrect the dead. And let's face it, Scar only managed to come back thanks to a loophole in the laws of magic._

 _8\. I explained this one to you in the messages._

 _9\. He probably did end up being their snack off-screen, so you can count that as canon now._

 _10\. I was rather upset when I first saw Rise Of Scar, because it felt like my fanfic was made obsolete. I seem to have the same talent for predicting events in the show as The Simpsons do for real life. As for Scar appearing in a pool of water, that was actually derived from Lion King 2, when Kovu briefly sees Scar's image in the pond._


End file.
